Baseball’s National Team Call-Up Training Begins

Olympic and WBC medal defeats averted
‘Propaganda’ for the AG filial sport

Lee Jung-hoo, Koo Chang-mo, and Lee Lee are gone
Kim Sung-yoon, Kim Young-kyu, Yoon Dong-hee, etc. were inserted

First match against Hong Kong on the 1st of next month
Coach Ryu: “We will give it our all against Taiwan”

카지노Following the ‘no medal’ at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Korean baseball suffered humiliation at the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, failing to advance to the quarterfinals. While the sport has continued to suffer on the world stage, it is a “filial sport” at the Asian Games. After winning a silver medal in Hiroshima in 1994, Korea won gold in Bangkok in 1998 and Busan in 2002. The 2006 Doha disaster resulted in a bronze medal, but the team has since won three consecutive gold medals in Guangzhou in 2010, Incheon in 2014, and Jakarta-Palembang in 2018.

The baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Jung-il, began their preparations for a fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou on Nov. 23 with a warm-up session at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. The team will continue training at the Gocheok Sky Dome until the 27th before departing for Hangzhou, China, on the 28th.

Members of the gold-plated Asian Games baseball team walk to their first training session at the Gocheok Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. News1
The team is a bit of a mess. Three players have been replaced from the original roster due to injuries. Lee Jung-hoo (Kiwoom) and Koo Chang-mo (NC), who were expected to be replaced due to left ankle injuries in July, were dropped on the 21st, and Lee Yi-ri (KIA) was excluded the next day. In their place, outfielder Kim Sung-yoon (Samsung), pitcher Kim Young-gyu (NC) and outfielder Yoon Dong-hee (Lotte) were selected. In total, the final roster of 24 players will consist of 11 pitchers, two catchers, seven infielders and four outfielders. Ryu said, “We are facing difficulties in managing the starting lineup due to the absence of Koo Chang-mo and Lee Yi-ri. We don’t have any left-handed starters in the final roster,” Ryu said, adding, “I believe the right-handed starters like Kwak Bin (Doosan) and Park Se-woong (Lotte) will do a good job.”

South Korea, in Group B, will open the tournament next month on March 1 against Hong Kong. They will then face Chinese Taipei on the second day and the qualifiers on the third. Group A includes Japan, China, the Philippines, and the qualifiers. Their immediate opponent is Chinese Taipei, a team with seven players who play in the American minor leagues. The Chinese Taipei team won the gold medal in Doha in 2006. “We’ll give it our all in the second game of the preliminary round against Chinese Taipei and try to top the group. We’ll think about the final later,” Liu said.

Ryu will be captained by Kim Hye-sung (Kiwoom). Kim was the youngest captain in the history of professional baseball at the age of 22 in 2021, and has a wealth of international experience, having participated in both the Tokyo Olympics and this year’s WBC. “I think (the players) will follow my lead if I show good behavior rather than words,” he said, “and I will do my best to win the gold medal.”

The determination of the athletes who have made the team is remarkable. “They say that the pitcher has the advantage in a new situation, but I think I have the edge and I’m going to pitch confidently,” Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha), who joined the national team for the first time, said before the 24th training session, adding, “I will show it with results.”

Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha), who leads the KBO with 31 home runs this season, said, “I’m very honored to be selected for the national team, and I’m preparing as best I can. I will do my best,” he said, adding, “I will play with the sole focus on hitting the ball accurately.”