Finally, a day of decision has come. How will Ryu Joong-il’s pitching entry be structured.
Ryu Joong-il, who will lead the Korean national baseball team, will announce the final entry of 28 players who will play in the 2024 World Baseball Softball Association (WBSC) Premier 12 on Sunday morning. After that, the team will leave for Taiwan, the site of the showdown on Tuesday.
Currently, the national team consists of 34 pitchers. A total of six pitchers, including four catchers, one catcher, and one infielder, should be excluded. Ryu has decided to appoint two catchers for now. It is expected that one of Kim Hyung-joon (NC Dinos) and Han Jun-su (KIA Tigers) will remain as backup for Park Dong-won (LG Twins), who will play as the mainstay. Among the fielders, Kim Young-woong (Samsung Lions), who complained of shoulder pain, is highly likely to be excluded.
The most competitive place is the pitching staff. Notably, Ryu Joong-il’s concerns continue even after the last warm-up match before the announcement of the final entry for the national team and the actual match between blue and white on Wednesday. This was because all pitching staff performed well.
In the match against Sangmu, starting pitcher Ko Young-pyo (KT Wiz, two runs in three innings), Lim Chan-kyu (LG, one scoreless inning), Lee Young-ha (Doosan Bears, one scoreless inning), So Hyung-joon (KT, one scoreless inning), Kim Seo-hyun (Hanwha Eagles, one scoreless inning) and Cho Byung-hyun (SSG Landers, one scoreless inning) all pitched well. In addition, Kwak Bin (Doosan, three innings, one run), Yoo Young-chan (LG, one scoreless inning), Kwak Do-gyu (KIA, one scoreless inning), Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan, one scoreless inning), Jung Hae-young (KIA, one scoreless inning) and Choi Ji-min (KIA, one scoreless inning) showed off their good pitching. 안전놀이터
After the game, Ryu Joong-il said, “Both of them (laughs). They both pitched well and did poorly,” adding, “Our middle pitchers were good. They have good ball-tip and control. That’s why (the batters) hit poorly.”
Then who are the four unlucky ones to be eliminated? First of all, the five starting players Ko Young-pyo, Kwak Bin, Lim Chan-kyu, Choi Seung-yong (Doosan), and Um Sang-baek (KT) are likely to survive. Analysts say that the starting lineup is weak due to injuries to Son Joo-young (LG) and Won Tae-in (Samsung). Four players will likely be excluded from the bullpen.
First of all, Kim Si-hoon (NC Dinos) and Cho Min-seok (Sangmu), who joined on the 25th of last month, are expected to be excluded, and the head coach is struggling with the remaining two.
“I came out of a meeting with Cho Kye-hyun, chairman of the committee, and the coaching staff. I will make the final decision after checking,” Ryu said. “(Kim) Young-woong, who complained of pain in his right shoulder, is unlikely to be able to do so due to injury. Four pitchers need to be excluded, but I am still agonizing over the issue.”
The standard is clear. “Middle pitchers are thinking about an inning or so. They have to have control. They have to have fast ball control,” Ryu said. “They have to have fast ball control and have the ability to catch strikes with breaking balls. I think we have to see that and make a decision.” How will Ryu’s pitching staff consist of Ryu Joong-il who will play in the Premier 12.
Meanwhile, after announcing the final entry on July 7, Korea, which will depart for Taiwan on June 8, will start its tournament schedule with a match against Taiwan on June 13. The team will then face Cuba on April 14, Japan on April 15, the Dominican Republic on April 16, and Australia on April 18, and if it is in the top two, it can advance to the Super Round.
The Super Round will take place at Tokyo Dome in Japan from Sunday. Korea, which won the inaugural competition in 2015, ranked second in the second competition in 2019. Coach Ryu Joong-il aims to advance to the Super Round as the first goal of the upcoming competition.
