He smiled again when asked about the wife of Song Sung-moon (28, Kiwoom Heroes), the captain of the Korean national baseball team.
The Korean national baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Joong-il (61), will depart for Taiwan on the 8th, where the group round of the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 tournament will be held through Incheon International Airport.
Korea was part of Group B along with Japan, Taiwan, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Australia at the Premier 12 tournament that will begin on Nov. 13. Korea must secure at least a second place to participate in the Super Round in Tokyo, Japan, from Nov. 21.
The team arrived at the airport in a bright mood even in the early morning after finishing their training sessions that began on April 24. Song looked the brightest among them all. “I was taken aback because there were so many people,” Song said in an interview before leaving the country. “I thought, ‘Why are there so many people?’ but they came to cheer us on so early, so I think they have made up their minds to do better one more time.”
For Song, this year’s national team is special to him. He joined Nexen (currently Kiwoom) as the 49th player in the second round of the KBO rookie draft in 2015, and had never worn the national flag before this year. 스포츠토토
However, in his 10th year as a pro player, he has developed into a league-leading third baseman with a batting average of 0.340 (179 hits in 527 times at bat) in 142 games, 19 homers, 104 RBIs, 88 runs and 21 steals, and a on-base percentage of 0.409 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.927. He has also been named a captain in the national team in recognition of his outstanding leadership that led Kiwoom as a captain this year.
“When I first became a member of the national team, I was just happy,” Song said. “However, after training and warm-up matches, I feel more determined to make a good result than to celebrate my departure. I have a strong desire to do well as a national team player rather than a sense of responsibility as a captain.”
There was someone who made Song feel a little easier. He was the wife who married in December last year, one year younger than him. The wife, who had a 10-year relationship since Jangchung High School, was cited as one of the reasons that Song took the next level of success. During his interview this season, his wife’s “tailoring Song Seong-moon” became a hot topic of conversation.
It was the same again this time. When asked about his wife, Song said, “I finished my workout early yesterday (7th) and I had something to pack, so I stopped by my house and they prepared a sweet potato cake. So I was really thankful. I think I received good energy again before I left the country.”
Song Seong-moon himself is a player who is always cheerful when playing in the dugout with his team. Whenever he gets on base, he often cheers up the players with unique ceremonies. “I didn’t prepare separately during the season, but I was in the mood for a moment and made a big gesture,” he said. “National team games are a place where we have to do really well, but I try to have as much fun as possible with younger players rather than having a heavy responsibility.”
“While training together in the national team, I felt that there were many players with good skills that made me think that I was a frog in a well. So I didn’t feel that the national team was particularly weak,” he said. “As the coach said, my goal is to go to the Tokyo Dome unconditionally. If I go to the Super Round, I think I will have a bigger goal,” he said, aiming to go to Japan.
