the best professional baseball player (MVP) Jeong-hoo Lee (25) and the king of saves LG Woo-seok Ko (25). And home run hitter KT Park Byeong-ho (37), left-handed ace SSG Kim Gwang-hyun (35), and KIA Yang Hyeon-jong (35). 28 baseball players representing the KBO gathered in one place. It is to participate in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), the world’s most prestigious international baseball tournament, which is approaching on the 23rd.
The national team, which will participate in the 5th WBC, will gather in one place and begin to harden in earnest. Head coach Lee Kang-cheol, 7 coaches and 28 players gathered on the 15th at the Westward Look Wimdom Grand Resort in Tucson, Arizona, where a joint training base camp was set up. Among the final 30 players, Kim Ha-seong (28) of San Diego and Tommy Edman (28) of St. Louis, who are active in the Major League (MLB), will play an exhibition game and join the national team in early March. Since there is not much time left until the tournament, the national team plans to improve their condition centering on actual matches. The national team is scheduled to return to Korea on the 1st of next month after holding a practice game in turn with NC, KIA, KT, and LG, who had their spring camp in Arizona. Afterwards, the national team goes through adaptation training and practice games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, and leaves for Osaka, Japan on the 4th. The national team will play two games against the Japanese professional baseball team at the Osaka Dome, and then move to Tokyo, Japan, the final match.
The determination of the national team to participate in this tournament is different. This is because good results in international competitions are essential in an atmosphere where the popularity of professional baseball is not the same as before. In particular, as the national team was eliminated from the 2017 WBC, 1-2 to Israel and 0-5 to the Netherlands, it needs to restore its honor. The national team set a goal of advancing to the semifinals for the first time in 14 years since the 2009 tournament when it advanced to the final.
Coach Lee emphasized that the player’s physical condition is important to achieve the goal. Coach Lee said, “We plan to determine the training schedule based on the player’s condition and decide on the list for the practice match.”
Among the players summoned that day, Lee Jung-hoo received the most attention. MLB.com selected Lee Jung-hoo as the best player in the WBC outfield along with Mike Trout (USA, LA Angels) and Mookie Betts (USA, LA Dodgers), and the New York Post ranked Lee Jeong-hoo as the 14th most interesting baseball player in the WBC. . Lee Jung-hoo said, “I am not burdened with the attention of the foreign media,” and confidently said, “If I reduce my tension and do my usual work, good results will come out.” 안전놀이터
Kim Hyeon-soo (LG), who took over as captain of the national team once again after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, said, “I have a strong desire to achieve good results, so if I don’t do well, I can’t get a good evaluation.” “I promised.
On the mound, there is a high possibility that the role of the bullpen will be entrusted to Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong. Previously, coach Lee left open the possibility of putting in the bullpen, saying, “I will put it in at an important moment as much as I have a lot of experience,” regarding the two veterans who have gone through all the battles. Every year at the WBC, the national team showed a disappointing appearance at the end of the game. In the 2009 WBC final, he was hit by Ichiro Suzuki in the 10th overtime and shed tears, and in the last tournament, he bowed his head as he dedicated the score to Israel in the 10th overtime. Kim Gwang-hyun said, “It is true that the position of the bullpen is a bit burdensome because I started most of my career as a player.”