On August 17, the Lotte Giants announced the retirement of left-handed pitcher Cha Woo-chan (36). I’ve been rehabilitating since I had surgery on my left shoulder in September 2021, but I haven’t recovered 100% and I’m taking off my uniform. Cha Woo-chan, who was born in 1987 and entered the professional league in 2006, is the same age as Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto), the same left-hander. Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG) and Yang Hyun-jong (KIA) are one year younger. Cha Woo-chan started later than them, who were in the spotlight since his rookie days, but he recorded 112 wins in his career and 1413, the 10th-ranked strikeout in KBO history, in two clubs, the Samsung Lions and the LG Twins.
Cha Woo-chan was not a pitcher who started from the beginning. He stood out as a middle pitcher and switched to the starting lineup. After taking over as a relief pitcher again, he went up to the ace as a starter. Cha Woo-chan said, “When I saw the three players (Ryu Hyun-jin, Kim Kwang-hyun, and Yang Hyun-jong), I thought I wanted to start, but I wasn’t good at that time. “I gained experience and competed little by little and took the starting position,” he recalled when he was young. 스포츠토토
Cha Woo-chan learned the ball species in his late 20s after various experiences (in his own words, change-up). Cha Woo-chan said, “Left-handed pitchers need changeups when dealing with right-handed hitters, so I’ve been practicing since I was young. However, when I threw as a bullpen pitcher, I was not confident in the change-up, so I couldn’t throw. “I think I’ve gotten used to it since I became a complete starter and started throwing changeups comfortably,” he said about Splitter.
Cha Woo-chan’s splitter threw his finger with a deep two-seam grip, not completely tight. Thanks to the pitch type, Cha Woo-chan, who has widened his pitching pattern, could induce a swing with a high fastball, and in 2015, he became the strikeout king with 194 strikeouts. Cha Woo-chan, who humbly looks back on himself, saying, “He was such a bad pitcher and he wasn’t a good pitcher.” He was an excellent pitcher who handled batters calmly in the presence of runners. It was also a product of his crisis management skills as a middle pitcher.
Cha Woo-chan was also good at keeping in check. On August 4, 2016, he recorded three checkers against the SK Wyverns. Regarding the check movement, Cha Woo-chan said, “I tried to check a lot because the quick motion was not fast. Jeon Byung-ho, who was in Samsung, was good at checking, so I learned a lot of kicking and head movements and practiced a lot at the camp,” he explained why he was good at checking. Cha Woo-chan has always overcome his weaknesses through efforts and has become a necessary pitcher for the national team.
Cha Woo-chan also participated in the Asian Games and the Olympics, twice in the WBC and Premier 12. Even on such a big stage, various job experiences helped. “All the roles in the international competition were in the middle. “Since I made my professional debut in the middle, I was able to warm up quickly and throw comfortably,” he said. Cha Woo-chan’s virtually final pitch came in relief against the Dominican Republic, the third-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, on August 7, 2021.
In Japan, a press conference is held as soon as a Cha Woo-chan-class player announces his retirement, but in Korea, it is common to end with a comment announcement. In addition, it was difficult to create such an opportunity because Lotte, which moved this year, did not have a mound. In front of Samsung or LG fans, I think it would be nice if Cha Woo-chan had a chance to say goodbye. There is only one match left between the two teams this season in Jamsil on Sept. 28.