KIA invested 1R·4R nomination rights + 1 billion won... Cho Sang-woo, 'Ballnet → Hit → Ballnet' Do We Need Time
KIA invested 1R·4R nomination rights + 1 billion won... Cho Sang-woo, 'Ballnet → Hit → Ballnet' Do We Need Time
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He took the mound amid a lot of interest, but it was less than expected in his first appearance. This is the story of right-hander Cho Sang-woo, who wore a KIA Tigers uniform in December last year.온라인카지노
Cho Sang-woo took the mound as relief in the regular season opener against the NC Dinos in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the 22nd and recorded two hits and one out. He was replaced without catching a single out count.
KIA, which was leading 1-0 thanks to starting pitcher James Nail's good pitching, put up left-hander Kwak Do-gyu ahead of the top of the sixth inning. Kwak, who struck out leadoff hitter Park Min-woo, caused a crisis of scoring rights with Kim Joo-won's hit and Son Ah-seop's walk.
Cho Sang-woo, the first and second bases with one out, was chosen by the KIA bench. However, Cho was also shaky. He allowed a walk while struggling to continue the game against Matt Davidson. With the bases loaded with one out, he was hit by a two-run double by the follow-up hitter Park Kun-woo. If the hit had expanded further, it could have been a home run.
Cho Sang-woo gave up a walk after a full count match against Kwon Hee-dong with runners on the second and third bases with one out. He eventually gave up the mound to left-hander Choi Ji-min with one out and the bases loaded with one out. For KIA, Choi took a breather as pinch hitter Kim Hyung-joon struck out, and the team garnered eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning alone, bringing back the lead. KIA ended the game with a 9-2 victory.
The head coach pointed out that the situation in his first appearance after moving to the team must have been a bit burdensome. Asked about Cho Sang-woo ahead of the match against NC on the 23rd, KIA manager Lee Bum-ho said, "First of all, it was my first game, but I'm sorry to put Cho Sang-woo in an important situation. After experiencing the first game like that, the team came from behind to win, so it will get better."
Kia has strengthened its bullpen by trading with the Kiwoom Heroes on Dec. 19 last year. It acquired Cho Sang-woo by giving up 1 billion won in cash to Kiwoom along with the right to select players in the first and fourth rounds of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft. Kia has suggested a trade first as it decided that it needs to compensate for its shortcomings in order to secure its second consecutive win.
"We have formed a consensus with the team on the need to strengthen our bullpen and pushed for this trade," said an official from Kia. Cho's main weapon is a fastball in the 150km/h range and a sharp slider. "He is a proven pitcher who combines various pitching types including splitter, change-up and curveball," Cho said. "As he has played a must-win role in KBO league and international competitions, I expect that he will be of great help to our team going forward."
The verification has already been completed. Jo Sang-woo, who joined the Heroes as the No. 1 overall pick in the first round in 2013, posted 33 wins, 25 losses, 54 ⅓ innings with 88 saves and an earned run average of 3.11. Last year, Jo finished the season with one loss, nine holds, six saves and an earned run average of 3.18 in 44 games and 39 ⅔ innings.
In this year's exhibition games, he had one loss and an earned run average of 9.00 in three innings in three exhibition games. He allowed runs in the game against the Sajik Lotte Giants (two runs in one inning) on Saturday and the game against the Changwon NC Dinos (one run in one inning) on Sunday, but in the game against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on Sunday, his third game, he had one hit and three strikeouts in one inning.
Although Cho Sang-woo left a regret in his first appearance in the regular season, the coach's faith remains unchanged. "I played my first game since my transfer, and I think I wanted to show good performance in front of many fans," coach Lee said. "I think the tension of the game was greater than that of Cho Sang-woo."
The head coach plans to use Cho in situations where his team needs him or in situations of close matches, such as Tuesday's game. "As time passes, you will find yourself. Don't worry. If there is an important situation, I will use Cho in the future," coach Lee Bum-ho said.