“I’m thinking of using it at an important moment without distinction between starting and finishing, and middle positions.”
Lee Kang-cheol, coach of the Korean national baseball team, talked about how to use veteran left-handed ace duo Kim Gwang-hyun (35, SSG Landers) and Yang Hyeon-jong (35, KIA Tigers) in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) at the KBO Hall in Dogok-dong, Seoul on the 4th. Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong played an active role as starting pitchers responsible for Korea’s valuable first win in several international competitions in the past, but in this tournament, they plan to take the mound in every important situation regardless of position.
Director Lee said, “Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong must become leaders based on a lot of experience as seniors. I’m thinking of writing it,” he said.
Friends of the same age, Kim Gwang-hyeon and Yang Hyeon-jong watched the golden age of Korean baseball as soon as they stepped into the pros in 2007. Kim Gwang-hyun participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and contributed to the myth of winning a gold medal in 9 matches, and led the 2009 WBC runner-up, the 2014 Incheon Asian Games gold medal, and the 2015 WBSC Premier12 championship.
Yang Hyeon-jong played as an ace in Guangzhou in 2010, Incheon in 2014 and Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in 2018 and won gold medals three times.
He also achieved his dream of becoming a major leaguer and carefully accumulated experience on the big stage. Kim Gwang-hyun played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020 and 2021, and Yang Hyeon-jong went back and forth between the minor and big leagues at the Texas Rangers in 2021 to broaden his knowledge.
The pitching staff of the national team this time mainly consists of young players who need advice from Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong. Eui-ri Lee (KIA), the youngest born in 2002, Jun Sohn (kt), born in 2001, Tae-in Won (Samsung) and Yun-shik Kim (LG), Bin Bin Kwak (born 1999), Cheol-won Jung (Doosan), Woo-young Jung (LG), Woo-seok Ko (born 1998) , Koo Chang-mo (NC), born in 1997, and others joined. Gu Chang-mo and Ko Woo-seok have become lower in age to the extent that they feel like second-handers. 메이저놀이터
Young players have as many variables as lack of experience. Since early March, I have never participated in an international competition where I put all my effort into it, so it is difficult to be certain how each of us will manage our physical condition until the national team is summoned.
Coach Lee said, “I picked veterans who are good because I have to give grades unconditionally. I picked 15 (pitchers) and there will be players who are in good condition in the early stages and players who are not in good condition. All players can use it. Depending on their condition, they may not be able to use it.”
It is highly likely that Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong will return the Taegeuk mark at the end of this tournament. Considering the international competition schedule and the ages of the two players, it is. As the leaders of the pitching staff, will the two players be able to pass on the know-how they have accumulated to their juniors and reap the beauty of the end?