I shook my head. Hanwha Eagles Ryu Hyun-jin claimed that the ABS (Automatic Pitching Assessment System) strike zone was different from the previous day. Both Hanwha and KT Wiz dugouts sensed something strange. Was it just the team’s feelings and mood?
The match between Hanwha and KT in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 24th ended with KT's 7-1 win. Ryu Hyun-jin, who appeared as a starting pitcher that day, did not receive any help from his teammates in offense and defense, and collapsed with 7 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 7 runs (5 earned) in 5 innings, becoming the losing pitcher.
The next day, what Ryu Hyun-jin complained about was not the frozen batting lineup or the disorganized defense. Ryu Hyun-jin pointed out the consistency of the strike zone set by ABS. On the 24th, Ryu Hyun-jin was ruled as a ball for all of his first three pitches in a match against lead hitter Cheon Seong-ho in the top of the first inning, who was his first opponent that day. According to Ryu Hyun-jin's analysis, three balls were hit in a row on the outside of the left-hander, and if it had been the day before, they should have been strikes.
Ryu Hyun-jin also walked Cho Yong-ho and Kim Sang-su in the top of the third inning. These balls were also decisions that Ryu Hyun-jin did not understand. Ryu Hyun-jin threw the first two pitches to Cho Yong-ho outside in the third inning, and threw a low ball on the third pitch, but both were ruled balls. Both the pitcher and the batter seemed to think the ball to the inside of the 4th pitch was a strike, but he was ruled a ball.
In the game against Kim Sang-soo, when all four balls were ruled balls and a straight walk, Ryu Hyun-jin made a gesture toward the dugout as if checking whether it was a ball. Starting on the 23rd, ABS receivers were placed in the dugout, making it possible to check calls faster than on a tablet PC. Afterwards, in the 5th inning, Ryu Hyun-jin struck out 3 pitches to fellow batter Cho Yong-ho, and after receiving the final 3-ball strike, Ryu came down the mound shaking his head.
In the first month of ABS, which was introduced to strengthen the fairness of judging, the players are aware that the ABS zone is somewhat different for each stadium due to environmental reasons. So, in the first away game, it is important to adapt to the strike zone, and plan your strategy accordingly. Whether it was just a feeling or not, Ryu Hyun-jin, who had prepared so well, could not help but feel confused by the decision that was different from what he expected.
For Hanwha, Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho also explained that Ryu Hyun-jin was ‘stopped’ to some extent by the ABS decision, which was different from what he had figured out the day before. Manager Choi Won-ho said, "It was our first Suwon game, and on the 23rd, the strike zone seemed to be deviated to the side, so even Moon Dong-ju had a hard time catching strikes deep outside the left-hander's body (inside the right-hander's body). So on the 24th, we revised the pitching design and moved to the outside. “I tried to utilize the wide side, but (the left-handed hitter)’s outside strikes were all ruled balls,” he said.
Not only Ryu Hyun-jin, but other Hanwha pitchers and batters all felt that the strike zone was different from the previous day. The same question arose at KT: ‘If that’s not a strike, what is it?’ The KT players also felt that there was something different about the strike zone on the 23rd and 24th, and coach Lee Kang-cheol, who spoke with Ryu Hyun-jin for a while before the game on the 25th, also seemed to understand Ryu Hyun-jin's complaints to some extent.
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