The ‘newspaper’ PitchCom is a device that top teams in the KBO, such as the Kia Tigers and Samsung Lions, are reluctant to use. But why did William Cuevas (KT Wiz) highly recommend Pitchcom, saying it “really helps my pitching”?
Cuevas started the ninth game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League 2024 against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on April 17 and pitched six innings, three hits, four walks, five strikeouts, one run (unearned), and 107 pitches to lead the team to a 9-2 victory. It was KT’s fourth straight win, eighth straight against Kiwoom, and fourth straight at Gocheok Sky Dome.
Cuevas took the mound wearing the KBO’s new pitch-com. Unlike Wes Benjamin, the first KBO pitcher to wear the pitchcom, Cuevas personally pressed the transmitter and signed an autograph for catcher Kang Hyun-woo, who wore the receiver. Normally, the catcher, who is the one signing the pitch, tells the pitcher the pitch type and direction through the transmitter.
KT manager Lee Kang-cheol said before the game,
“Cuevas doesn’t need a pitchcom. If the catcher has a transmitter, he will keep shaking his head. I think he’s really going to throw at will now,” he laughed, adding a new observation point: ”Maybe if Cuevas himself has a transmitter, his pitching tempo will be faster.”
After a summer of ups and downs, the undefeated pitcher finally rebounded on this day. He pitched with control through the Pitchcom transmitter, spending less time signing autographs with the catcher and keeping his tempo steady. His fastball topped out at 150 mph (54 pitches), and he had a wide variety of pitches at his disposal, including a changeup (15), two-seam (17), cutter (8), and slurve (13). 안전놀이터 Cuevas’ victory came 45 days after his June 2 start against the Gwangju KIA.
After the game, Cuevas said, “The most obvious thing is that Pitchcom helped me a lot more than I thought it would. Before, I needed time to communicate with the catcher before I could throw the pitches I thought I had, but today I was able to do it myself, and I was able to pitch with complete confidence in what I was thinking. It’s really helped me a lot,” he said of the Pitchcom equipment.
Cuevas, like Benjamin, is no stranger to Pitchcom:
I pitched in Triple-A in the US minor leagues with Pitchcom. The difference between Triple-A and Major League Pitchcom is that in Triple-A, only pitchers, catchers, and bullpens can wear it, while in the Major Leagues, all infielders can wear it,” he explains. In KT’s case, the pitcher wore the transmitter the day before, and the catcher, shortstop, and second baseman wore the receiver.
The KBO distributed a set of pitchcoms, a device that allows pitchers and catchers to exchange autographs during a game, to each club on Friday and held a briefing session for club representatives to explain how to use the device, regulations, and more.
The KBO completed full certification for the use of PitchCom on the first of the month, and it will be available for use in KBO League and Futures League games from the 16th.
A Pitchcom set consists of a transmitter to input signs and a receiver to listen to them. Each set consists of three transmitters and 12 receivers, and every team in the KBO League and Futures League received one set each.
The transmitters have nine buttons, which are used to input the preset pitch type and pitch location buttons in sequence, which are then audibly transmitted to the receiver. The transmitter can only be worn by pitchers or catchers, and for pitchers, it is worn around the wrist using a glove or brace. For catchers, it can be worn on the wrist, knee, or anywhere else you choose.
Receivers wear it on the inside of their hat.
In addition to the pitcher or catcher, up to three other players on the field may wear the device, but not in the dugout or bullpen.
After earning his eighth win of the season on Saturday with Pitchcomb, allowing one run on five hits (one home run) in 6 1/3 innings with two walks and five strikeouts, Benjamin said, “It’s been a big help in keeping the tempo up. I think the other guys are going to utilize it a lot. In the U.S., there was a lot of autograph stealing with runners on second base. I don’t know how much that’s done in Korea, but it’s a big advantage for me to be able to focus on the batter and not worry about the runner so much.”
“The pace of the game was really fast. The catcher signs very quickly,” he said, adding, ”I read an article that everyone doesn’t use pitchcams, but I saw our players adapt well. I think it’s good for the infielders because they can play different types of defense. I asked the players how they hear it, and they said it’s too loud and they’re worried about the opponent hearing it. I’m not sure about PitchClock, but PitchCom seems to work well,” he wrote.
However, not everyone in the league is a fan of Pitchcom.
“We’re young, so I think we’ll get the hang of it quickly, but we need to practice memorizing where the buttons are and how to put the receiver in the hat and listen to it. If you don’t practice, you can’t use it. I think it will be difficult to use it until I get it down perfectly,” said Park Jin-man, head coach of second-place Samsung. You might miss a sign while focusing on the button,” said Park Jin-man of second-place Samsung.
“If it’s not mandatory, we won’t use it,” said Lee Seung-yup of No. 4 Doosan. Every game depends on a single ball, and I think we need to prepare after the season. Of course, I think it’s natural to reduce the playing time, but it’s hard to use it right now.”
“I think PitchCom is a great tool for pitchers because it allows them to get their tempo up quickly,” Cuevas said, adding, ”It takes a second or two for the catcher to hear it after you press the button. If Korean players are going to use the device, I think it would be a good idea to sign to the catcher before taking the ball and getting on the mound, so they can get used to it faster,” he said.