Ryu Joong Il-ho, the starting pitcher for the second time in the group stage, is in the hands of Ryu Joong-il
Ryu Joong Il-ho, the starting pitcher for the second time in the group stage, is in the hands of Ryu Joong-il
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The final entry for the Korean Premier 12 national team has been confirmed. The operation of the mound has also been sketched out. The starting pitcher who will play in the match against Taiwan on Wednesday will take the mound in the final match on Wednesday after a four-day rest. Ryu Joong-il's success or failure is determined by the team's starting pitcher against Taiwan.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said on the 7th, "The KBO Power Reinforcement Committee and the national team coaching staff have confirmed the final list of 28 Team Korea players to participate in the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 tournament on the 7th."
The Korean national baseball team, led by Ryu Joong-il, started a call-up drill on Oct. 24. Making the most of the rules for the tournament, which allows the replacement of additional final entries until right before the opening of the tournament, the team focused on each player's current performance and selected the final participants.
Among the 34 players who were participating in the national team training until the 6th, pitchers Kim Si-hoon, Um Sang-baek, Jeon Sang-hyun, Cho Min-seok, catcher Han Jun-su and infielder Kim Young-woong were not on the final list.
With Um Sang-baek excluded, only four starting pitchers - Ko Young-pyo, Lim Chan-gyu, Choi Seung-yong and Kwak Bin - will be left in the final entry of Ryu Joong-il. Korea belongs to Group B along with Taiwan, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Japan and Australia. While tickets for the Super Round will be given to the second place in the group, the starting pitcher will have to play in the match against Australia on Wednesday.
In fact, Ryu was planning to have four starting pitchers even if Um Sang-baek was included in the final entry. He planned to use a strategy of using two starting pitchers in one game by turning Um Sang-baek into a bullpen session.
If Um had been there, however, it would have been possible to put Um on the mound in the match against Australia with Plan B in the event of poor performance by a starting pitcher against Taiwan. Now, however, a starting pitcher against Taiwan must take the mound in the match against Australia no matter what. Coach Ryu Joong-il also said in an interview before training on Wednesday that the starting pitcher who will throw against Taiwan on the first day will throw in the last game as well.
Japan is the absolute strongest team in Group B. The other four teams are expected to compete for the second place. Under this circumstance, Ryu Joong-il's success or failure is expected to be the first choice for the Korean team to play in two of the four matches excluding Japan.
Then who will be in charge of Ryu Joong-il's first starter? First of all, left-handed starter Choi Seung-yong is less likely. Choi is a resource that has been used more as a bullpen than a starting pitcher this season. He throws only 73 pitches in this season. His ERA is also very high at 6.00. Chances are low that he will take an important role.
Among the remaining three players, Kwak Bin and Ko Young-pyo are considered the best candidates for the starting pitcher role. The other one, Lim Chan-kyu, joined the team belatedly after completing the post season, and has only played one inning in the exhibition game. He is expected to increase the number of innings and pitches in the last practice game against the Taiwanese pro team on Tuesday, and if this happens, he will likely take the mound after the game on Wednesday.
Kwak is a pitcher who boasts fastballs with angles and curves that exceed 150 kilometers per hour. He won the title of most wins with 15 wins, six losses and an earned run average of 4.24 in the 2024 season. Ryu Joong-il is the only starting pitcher who can overwhelm batters in Taiwan and Australia with his power.
Ko is a right-handed underhand pitcher. He is a skilled player who performs fastball with strong movement of two-seam and change-ups. He is an unfamiliar type of pitcher and is capable of suppressing long balls. He is considered as a hidden card in the match against Taiwan. However, he left a regret by allowing three runs in 4.1 innings in his showdown with Australia at the World Baseball Classic last year. 먹튀검증
Ryu will be the first starter for Ryu Joong-il, who will take the mound twice in the group league. Ryu has to deal with Taiwan's left-hander Lin Yu-min, and has to overcome the burden of the final match against Australia. While the decision is being narrowed down to either Kwak Bin or Ko Young-pyo, all eyes are on who will be selected as the first starter for Ryu Joong-il.