Will veteran left-handed pitcher Jang Won-joon (38, Doosan) be able to light the final flame on the mound in Jamsil? His will to come back is as hot as the Sydney summer sun.

After the 2022 season, Jang Won-jun appealed to his will to extend his active service, not his retirement, at a meeting with manager Lee Seung-yeop. And coach Lee said, “There is a lack of left-handed pitchers in our team, so I hope they play a role. A pitcher with 129 victories recognizes other teams, and it is a disgrace if it does not go well. He has no intention of retiring, but I am not asking him to quit,” he said, accepting the player’s request.

Jang Won-joon participated in the spring camp in Sydney, Australia and is sweating like a rookie. About six days into the camp, he pitched the bullpen twice and confirmed his sharper pitch and health than in previous years. Manager Lee Seung-yeop and pitching coach Jeong Jae-hoon, who watched Jang Won-joon’s pitching more closely than anyone else, are confident in his comeback.

Jang Won-joon, who we met in Sydney, said, “I am grateful to the director for giving me the opportunity. In fact, I have to see a lot of young players at camp, but I am grateful for the constant interest in me.” I was thinking of doing everything I could really do without regrets and quitting without regrets when I really felt like I couldn’t do it, but the coach gave me a chance,” he said, conveying his mindset toward the camp.

The most encouraging part is that there are no injuries that have been an obstacle to a comeback. Jang Won-joon, who was in charge of the left-handed ace until the 2017 season, suffered from injuries and surgeries and only played 91 games in the last 5 seasons. Jang Won-joon said, “It was true that I was very concerned about injuries because I had been sick little by little over the past few years.” “I am satisfied with not being sick this year. If you do that, it won’t be as good as when you were in your prime, but I think you’ll come out with a pitch that’s as close to that time as possible.”

Jang Won-jun’s victory clock is stopped at 129 wins in his career. Since the LG match on May 5, 2018, we have not tasted victory for over four years. As a baseball player, he must have won 130 games before leaving the field. He said, “It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t greedy for the remaining one win as a player. It is an honest mind to want to accumulate as many multipliers as possible.” “But it is not something I can say I want to do. Now, I want to throw the ball in the first team rather than the number of wins.” 메이저놀이터

Another factor that reveals the prospect of Jang Won-joon’s comeback. Yang Eui-ji came back right away. Jang Won-joon, who signed a FA contract with Doosan in 2015, showed off his breath with Yang Eui-ji and led the championship for two consecutive years. Jang Won-joon said, “It’s nice to see (Yang) Eui-ji come back. He caught my ball on my first bullpen pitch and he said a lot of nice things. I will ask more questions in the future.”

Then, what does Jang Won-jun think of a season without regrets? What kind of pitch should he pitch so that he can leave the ground without any regrets? Jang Won-joon said, “I have not been able to show off my full skills for fear of getting sick. But now I think I can throw the ball without getting sick for a year,” he said. Until then, I will throw as much as I want without regret.”