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Sad news came from Korean fans. Moon Dong-ju (23 years old, Hanwha), a right-handed pitcher of the Korean baseball team who had high hopes, returned home due to injury and was unable to participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC). For him, this is undoubtedly a huge disadvantage for the Korean baseball team, which is looking forward to a starting role.
A source from Hanwha Club said on the 6th: “Moon Dong-joo returned home temporarily today (6th) to go to the hospital for treatment. After receiving treatment at the hospital on the 7th, he will go to Melbourne, Australia, the Hanwha spring training venue, on the 8th to join the player team.”
He continued: “The original plan was to observe Moon Dong-joo’s condition and receive medical treatment before joining Okinawa, Japan (the second training camp). However, due to the Spring Festival holiday, we decided to receive treatment in advance.”
Coincidentally, that day is the day when the national team roster for the 2026 WBC team will be announced. Due to this injury, Moon Dong-ju was not included in the final 30-man roster of the WBC baseball team. If it weren’t for shoulder pain, it is very likely that he would be selected for the WBC national team. But regrettable injuries have also affected the team’s concept of combat effectiveness.
The national team head coach also expressed his regrets. Ryu Ji-hyun, coach of the Korean baseball team, said: “I received the first contact from Hanwha on the 30th of last month. At that time, I heard that Moon Dong-joo’s shoulder was not in good condition and he was unable to pitch in the first alternate pitcher’s training area as planned. After that, we continued to communicate with the team on whether to return to form.”
He continued, “The pain disappeared and he pitched (22 pitches) from the bullpen on the 1st of this month. It was said that the pain was relieved. It is said that he originally planned to pitch in the bullpen training area again on the morning of the 4th, but his condition was not good from the beginning of pitching and catching. Although he threw 1 or 2 balls, the pain was said to be worse than when the bullpen pitched for the first time. Hanwha Club believes that he needs to rest for about 5 to 7 days.”
Coach Yoo said, “Considering the representative team’s practice match schedule and the recovery process such as catching and periodic pitching procedures, I think it is difficult to expect normal pitching in the WBC competition.” “Moon Dong-joo has the fastest pitch in the KBO league and a stable pitch. I originally wanted to use him in the most important game in the first round of the WBC. With Moon Dong-joo’s withdrawal, it is necessary to re-strategize,” and expressed his regret.
After graduating from Gwangju Hwajeong Elementary School-Mujung Middle School-Jinheung High School, Moon Dong-joo was named as a freshman for the first time in 2022 and put on the uniform of the Hanwha Eagles. The franchise contract fee is 500 million won. In the 2022 season, his first year with the franchise, he achieved 1 win, 3 losses, 2 hits, and an ERA of 5.65 in 13 games. In 28⅔ innings, he allowed 28 hits (5 homers), 14 walks, 1 walk, 36 strikeouts, and 19 runs (18 earned runs).
Moon Dong-joo officially joins the starting lineup in the 2023 season, the second year of the professional league, and is responsible for Hanwha’s pitching staff. He started in 23 games in the 2023 season and achieved 8 wins and 8 losses with an ERA of 3.72. In 118⅔ innings, he allowed 113 hits (6 home runs), 42 walks, 95 strikeouts, 52 runs (49 earned runs), a WHIP of 1.31, a batting average of 0.249, and high-quality starting pitching (less than 3 earned runs in 6 starts) completed 7 times.
Especially at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held during the season, he appeared as the starting pitcher in the final and became the protagonist of the gold medal. In addition, he also showed excellent pitching ability in the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) and left a deep impression. Finally, after the 2023 season, he won the Rookie Award, which can only be won once in his career.
Wen Dongzhu participated in a total of 21 games from 20 to 24 seasons and achieved 7 wins and 7 losses with an average ERA of 5.17. As the fourth starting pitcher that year, he allowed 148 hits (14 home runs), 38 walks, 96 strikeouts, 4 hits, and 71 runs (64 earned runs) in 111⅓ innings. Furthermore, in 24 appearances last season, he had 11 wins and 5 losses, an ERA of 4.02, 112 hits (7 home runs) in 121 innings, 31 walks, 135 strikeouts, 57 runs (54 ERA), WHIP 1.18, and a batting average of 0.243. He completed 11 high-quality starting pitches and proved his strength.
It’s just that Moon Dong-joo was injured due to the impact of pitching in high school. In the 2022 season, his first year with the team, he felt pain in his ribs while pitching in the upcoming alternate pitching training area and left the team. According to the examination results at that time, Wen Dongzhu was diagnosed with internal oblique muscle injury. After his debut, he took a break in June of the same year due to discomfort in his right shoulder. At that time, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) results showed that the subscapularis muscle (one of the shoulder muscles that connects the shoulder bone and upper arm bone) was partially ruptured and hematoma.
In the Hanwha team, Moon Dong-joo has always been the subject of special management. The 2023 season ended early after one round of management. He also failed to play the entire 2024 season. In May 2024, he was diagnosed with a partial injury to the scapula (scapula) and was removed from the first-team squad. In early September of the same year, he left the team again due to shoulder pain and was out for the season. The plan to join the top 12 of the Premier League also fell through. In the 2025 season, he went to the second team due to a partial scapula (shoulder blade) injury in May. Then, in the game against the NC team on August 16, he hit his elbow with a pitch and was diagnosed with a contusion, and was disqualified from the first team.
Moon Dong-joo said before going abroad for spring training in January this year: “I have been sick for a long time, so now it is really time to get better. There was no training at all during the basic military training. Later, I exercised in the warm Pattaya and my body trained faster. It is really lucky. It can be said that his shoulder has also returned to nearly 100%.” However, due to an accidental injury, he was unable to participate in the WBC competition, and he could only regretfully agree to compete next time.
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