ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2023.01.23 11:15
The Taichung disaster, the Gocheok disaster, and Korean baseball in crisis
A question mark was attached to the Korean national team who participated in the third tournament held in 2013. There is a growing public skepticism about a professional team coach taking over the national team. After many twists and turns, Ryu Jun-il, the manager of the winning team, the Samsung Lions, was appointed as the national team manager, but from the beginning there was a problem. The fighting strength has also fallen compared to the previous tournament. Ryu Hyun-jin, who joined the LA Dodgers, has left the team, and Kim Gwang-hyun has also left due to health problems. Kim Jin-woo and Choo Shin-soo were also unable to reunite at the end.
Nonetheless, no one doubted the possibility of passing the first round. They were organized into a group different from Japan, and the Netherlands, Australia, and the host country, Taiwan, were evaluated as sufficiently competitive opponents. Korean athletes gathered in Taichung, Taiwan to prepare for the tournament.
Expectations were exceeded from the first match. They lost 0-5 to the Netherlands, who had all the promising players in the minor leagues. Players from Curacao, a Dutch territory in the Caribbean, played an active role. After defeating Australia 6-0, Korea had a 0-2 lead in the match against Taiwan, but managed to come from behind to win 3-2. However, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Korea tied for 2 wins and 1 loss, and finished third in the group in TQB (total points/total innings – total points/total innings) calculation, and were eliminated.
Korea focused on the 4th tournament, which was held four years later. For the first time in history, we invited the first round competition. It was made possible by the construction of Gocheok Dome in Seoul. However, the strength was not high. Oh Seung-hwan, who belongs to the St. Louis Cardinals, was the only overseas player.
Korea lost again in the first match. They struggled against Israel, which consisted of minor players, and lost 1-2 at the end of extra time. They also lost the second game 0-5. The Netherlands, which included four main MLB shortstops, was stronger than four years ago. Rick Vandenhaak, a pitcher from Samsung, could not be beaten either. Although they beat Taiwan 11-8 and escaped a total loss, commentator Park Chan-ho criticized, “This is the level and strength of Korean baseball.”
Is it possible to restore honor after 6 years?
This tournament will be held for the first time in six years since the 4th tournament in 2017 due to the new corona.
Star players such as Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw (USA), Shohei Otani (Japan), Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado (Dominican Republic) have announced their participation.
Korea has announced 30 players (can be substituted) under the leadership of Lee Kang-chul, who led KT Wiz to the Korean Series championship in 2021. Seven former and current major league players, including Kim Ha-sung, Choi Ji-man, Kim Gwang-hyun, and Yang Hyun-jung, and last year’s MVP Lee Jeong-hoo. included. For the first time in Korean history, Tommy Hyun-soo Edman (St. Louis Cardinals) was also selected as a member of the team. Korea’s goal is to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in 14 years.
Twenty nations will participate in this tournament, which will be divided into four groups and will play a league match in the first round, with the top two teams advancing to the second round. Korea, who belongs to Group B, will face Australia (9th), Japan (10th), Czech Republic (12th) and China (13th). The top two teams will advance to the quarterfinals against Group A teams (Taiwan, Holland, Cuba, Italy and Panama). A win here will advance to the semi-finals at Lawn Depot Park in Miami, USA. The final will be held at the same location.
WBC that gave Korean baseball joy and disappointment (1)
