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\u25b2 On May 14 in Gwangju, Hwang Dong-ha recorded another quality start, steering KIA to a win and a series victory \u24d2KIA Tigers<\/p>\nTranslation result \u25b2 On May 14 in Gwangju, Hwang Dong-ha recorded another quality start, steering KIA to a win and a series victory \u24d2KIA Tigers<\/p>\n
[SPOTV News=Gwangju, Reporter Kim Tae-woo] Since debuting with KIA\u2019s first team in 2023, 24-year-old Hwang Dong-ha has been a reliable piece on the club\u2019s mound, filling roles as a starter, long reliever and spot starter.<\/p>\n
For a young player, simply sticking on the first-team roster was an accomplishment. But because Hwang consistently handled key duties, he settled into that rhythm. After the May 14 game in Gwangju, he said, \u201cBack then I was rotating as a spot starter and figured if I threw about five innings, the bullpen would handle the rest. I did what I could, and I was satisfied with four or five innings.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the time, manager Lee Beom-ho gave blunt advice: \u201cYou don\u2019t seem to have enough ambition.\u201d Hwang recalled, \u201cWhen the manager said that, I didn\u2019t think much of it and wondered, \u2018Am I really not ambitious?\u2019 \u201d Lee\u2019s remark covered several meanings \u2014 the desire to attack within games, ambition for a defined role, and the hunger to earn a regular spot in the rotation.<\/p>\n
Lee wanted him to push deeper into games and not be content as a spot starter or roster placeholder. When another opportunity came around, Hwang finally understood. \u201cWhen I got the chance to start this time, I wanted to be ambitious,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to carry the innings and see what I could do.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u25b2 Since earning a starting role, Hwang has delivered three straight quality starts and three consecutive wins, announcing himself as a force in the rotation \u24d2KIA Tigers<\/p>\n
Hwang began the season as a long reliever, but when Kim Tae-hyung struggled early in the rotation, Hwang was inserted into the starting spot. Determined to seize this second chance, he changed his approach. On May 2 against KT he threw seven scoreless innings. On May 8 versus Lotte he went six innings and allowed one run. On May 14 in Gwangju against Doosan, he worked six innings, gave up seven hits (two homers) and three runs to lead KIA to a 5\u20133 victory. That marks three straight starts with wins and three consecutive quality starts (at least six innings and three earned runs or fewer). He\u2019s emerged as KIA\u2019s de facto ace.<\/p>\n
His aggressiveness and assertiveness on the mound stood out. Although Yang Eui-ji hit two homers and accounted for all three earned runs, Hwang\u2019s performance otherwise had few flaws. He sped up the tempo and kept his approach simple. Adopting a \u201cjust swing\u201d mentality, he attacked hitters and got better results for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was getting into good shape when the starting chance came,\u201d Hwang said. \u201cI clear my head and just compete with the hitter. I focus on throwing strikes. I let hitters put the ball in play\u2014the more pitches, the more the defense has to work, and that helps keep the tempo up. I feel a strong responsibility to throw strikes and go deeper into games.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u25b2 Hwang has translated manager Lee\u2019s advice to \u201cbe ambitious\u201d into results on the mound \u24d2KIA Tigers<\/p>\n
After the game, Lee praised him: \u201cHwang delivered a quality start and did his job as a starter. He\u2019s tossed at least six innings in three straight games and is one pillar of our rotation.\u201d Hwang said he wants to push even harder. Having fought for this opportunity, he doesn\u2019t plan to give it up \u2014 he wants to be a starter who carries games.<\/p>\n
Hwang threw 97 pitches on May 2 against KT, 75 pitches on May 8 versus Lotte, and 85 pitches over six innings on May 14. He took the mound in the seventh inning on the 14th but gave up a homer to Yang Eui-ji and was pulled \u2014 a moment that still stings. In the past he might have been satisfied after six innings, but that new ambition won\u2019t let him settle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want more innings,\u201d Hwang said. \u201cIn the May 8 game I was pulled around 70\u201375 pitches and felt a bit disappointed. If I\u2019d been truly overpowering hitters, they wouldn\u2019t have pulled me, and I probably would have gone deeper. I\u2019ve set a new goal for myself.\u201d With that hunger sharpening his work, Hwang looks ready to spark a shift in KIA\u2019s starting rotation.<\/p>\n
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\u25b2 Hwang Dong-ha is leading a shake-up in the club\u2019s rotation and has emerged as the team\u2019s recent de facto ace \u24d2KIA Tigers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KIA’s Hwang Dong-ha emerges as the team’s ace with three consecutive quality starts and wins, aiming for longer innings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/thumbnail\/2026\/05\/CP-2022-0020\/thumb-e5c56ea0-0b2f-4d09-8fe0-b2f26cfe7891.jpg","footnotes":""},"categories":[278095],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n