All preparations are over… The challenge of the baseball team to ‘restore honor’ begins
2006 (1st) and 2009 (2nd), the status of Korean baseball has risen by advancing to the semifinals in two consecutive tournaments. . In 2009, he showed his potential by reaching the finals. As such, the World Baseball Classic (WBC) is more meaningful to the national team than any other competition.
It’s not just good memories. He also tasted bitter pain at the WBC. In 2013, when the ‘Taichung Disaster’ occurred, in 2017, held at home (Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul), they were eliminated in the first round. It was a shocking result, but on the other hand, it was also a natural result. There was so little preparation.
Six years have passed since then. Due to the aftermath of Corona 19, the 5th tournament will be held two years later than planned. The baseball team has one goal. going to America Go beyond the 1st and 2nd rounds and aim for the quarterfinals. It is the first challenge in the semifinals in 14 years since 2009.
Thoroughly prepared baseball team
On July 21 last year, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) appointed Lee Kang-cheol (kt Wiz) as the 2023 WBC national team coach and started preparing for the tournament. Here, he broke the ‘pure-blood principle’ and actively sought the participation of Korean major leaguers. Several players were mentioned, but the player who finally wore the Taegeuk mark was infielder Tommy Hyeonsu Edmon (St. Louis Cardinals).
In mid-November, a list of 50 people to be submitted to the WBC Organizing Committee (WBCI) was announced, and two months later, in January of this year, the final list of 30 people was selected. Ha-seong Kim (San Diego Padres), who played an active part in the big leagues for two years, joined the national team. However, Choi Ji-man (Pittsburgh Pirates), who had various problems, failed to participate.
The players who were notified to participate, such as adapting to the official ball while building their bodies, improved their condition faster than in previous years. In the middle of last month, the rest of the players, except for the two foreign players, gathered in Tucson, Arizona, USA, and worked together for over two weeks. In the evaluation match with domestic teams, he even checked his sense of practice.
In order not to repeat the nightmare of the previous two tournaments, the composition of the players and the preparation process were thoroughly conducted. In the process of returning to Korea after the schedule in the United States, a number of players had difficulties due to aircraft defects on domestic flights in the United States, but there was no disruption to the schedule.
Moreover, not a single player dropped out due to injury. On the 6th, during the evaluation match against the Orix Buffaloes, Ko Woo-seok, who felt something was wrong with his body, cleared his chest with a diagnosis of simple muscle pain. Athletes who showed poor physical condition in the cold weather of the United States also completed preparations for the competition normally.
The national team, which tasted victory in all of the unofficial evaluation matches against domestic teams, finished the official evaluation match against Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) teams with 1 win and 1 loss. With 9 points and 8 conceded points in 2 games, the hitter’s sense of hitting increased as time went on. In particular, with the performance of both starting and backup members, coach Lee Kang-cheol’s range of player appointments has widened.
Japan
, Australia, China, Czech Republic and Korea in Group B should put everything they have into Australia, the first game of the tournament to be held on the 9th. . Calmly, considering that China and the Czech Republic are one step below Korea in terms of power, it is safe to say that the result of the match against Australia determines whether or not they advance to the second round. If Australia is defeated, the burden on the players who will face Japan the next day will be greatly reduced. 카지노사이트
This is why Koh Young-pyo (kt), who is in the best condition among pitchers, is selected as the starting pitcher for the game against Australia. In addition, there are many prospects that Koh Young-pyo’s style will work, given the characteristics of Australian hitters who were weak against breaking pitches. However, all relief pitchers are expected to wait for a sortie to win the first game.
If the focus of the national team is on the match against Australia, the public is paying attention to the match against Japan on the 10th. It is the first Korea-Japan match in about a year and seven months since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and it is the first since the 2009 final in terms of the WBC alone. Japan, which has a record-breaking power, has set a goal to win this tournament. A large number of top players such as Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels) and Munetaka Murakami (Yakult Swallows) will participate in the tournament.
Unlike before, this year, no matter how many there are, there will be at most two Korea-Japan matches. After the face-to-face match in the first round, there is no need to face Japan again unless the match between Korea and Japan takes place in the final. Even if you give up this match, you can go to the second round, but if you lose in the first round, you may not have a chance to avenge the loss. This is why interest is focused on the match against Japan on the 10th.
Like the story of director Lee Kang-cheol, who attended the official press conference on the 8th, the die has already been cast. I did everything I could, and all that remained was for the players to show on the ground. Both the coaching staff and the players feel a sense of responsibility to do better than ever. Can the national team’s dream of restoring their honor become a reality? The great journey of ‘Lee Kang-cheol-ho’ begins.