Kim Hyun-soo (LG Twins) was selected as the captain of the Korean national team for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
At a press conference held at the Riviera Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 16th, national team coach Lee Kang-cheol said, “The players chose Kim Hyun-soo as the captain. He has a lot of experience and has a sad personality, and I think he will get along well.” On this day, the national team players gathered for the first time after Lee Kang-cheol-ho boarded the ship, held an orientation, and heard stories about the World Baseball Classic schedule and rules. Excluding players who left for the US before team training, 19 out of 30 attended, such as Lee Jung-hoo (Kiwoom Heroes) and Kim Gwang-hyun (SSG Landers).
Director Lee Kang-cheol said at this meeting, “Everyone says it is a crisis. I will use the crisis as an opportunity and prepare for many matches with these players with a national team roster filled with young players and veterans and do well.” I told the players that there are times when I can’t show my skills because I’m not feeling well, but I want them to do well and play their role.” Yang Eui-ji (Doosan Bears), the main catcher of the national team, said, “Recently (the results) in the national team were not good, but I think this national team will be the last, and I will prepare well with coach Lee Kang-cheol to repay the people.” 온라인카지노
Ko Woo-seok (LG Twins), who made a decisive mistake in the match against Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, said, “There is still a lot of time left (until the opening of the WBC), so the excitement outweighs the pressure.” “My skills were lacking during the Tokyo Olympics. With the Japan match as an opportunity, I worked hard, thinking, ‘I need to develop for two years’. If we meet Japan again, we will fight with confidence.” Ko Woo-seok became the king of salvation last season with 4 wins, 2 losses, 42 saves, and an average ERA of 1.48, and is expected to play a role as a firefighter in the national team this time. Ha-seong Kim (San Diego Padres), who will play a keystone combination with fellow big leaguer Tommy Edman (St. Louis Cardinals), said, “I will do my best to win every game.”
The World Baseball Classic team will begin training for two weeks from February 14 at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA. After returning home temporarily on March 1st, he will go to Osaka, Japan on the 4th, and will play an evaluation match against the Japanese professional baseball Orix Buffaloes and the Hanshin Tigers on March 6th and 7th before moving to Tokyo Dome, Japan, the site of the tournament.
Korea belongs to Group B with Japan, Australia, China and the Czech Republic, and the Korea-Japan match will be held on March 10th at 7pm. The 1st and 2nd place in Group B will play the quarterfinals against the 1st and 2nd place in Group A, which is competing with Taiwan and Cuba, on March 15-16. If they pass the gate of the quarterfinals, they will go to the United States and play more than the semifinals.