Seoul: Even as the defending South Korean baseball champions LG Twins stumbled out of the gate, with just one win in their first four games, manager Youm Kyoung-youb has enjoyed seeing the emergence of a new high-leverage reliever. Sidearmer Woo Kang-hoon has tossed two scoreless outings in the early going of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season, and earned his first career hold in Wednesday's 7-2 victory over the Kia Tigers. Relying on his funky delivery and a hard fastball with unpredictable movements, Woo has struck out three batters in two innings without allowing a hit or a walk. "Kang-hoon is now a key member of the group that will take care of crucial innings. He joined this unit after last night's outing," Youm told reporters before another game against the Tigers at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Closer You Young-chan and veteran setup man Kim Jin-sung are the only two ahead of Woo in the hierarchy now, according to Youm.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Youm said Woo, who only had 28 games of KBO experience prior to this year and is likely in for his first full season at this level, is capable of keeping both right-handed and left-handed batters in check. Typically, sidearm pitchers have worse numbers against left-handed batters because their pitches tend to move in on them and may end up in those hitters' sweet spots. Youm noted that Woo's fastballs tend to tail away from left-handed batters and keep them off balance.
"I will use him in any situation, against both lefties and righties," the manager said. "He can overpower those hitters, and he has great secondary pitches like the forkball and curveball." Youm noted that Woo has simplified his delivery and eliminated unnecessary movements. "He's been really working at it in the minors since last year, and we're getting to see the fruits now," Youm added.