“In this tournament, although we get hit, we won’t give up walks and we’ll fight decisively,” Choe Jun-yong told reporters at Gimpo International Airport.
The 25-year-old Lotte Giants pitcher assumes the role of captain of the pitching corps for the national baseball team heading into the Asia Pro Baseball Championship. The appointment follows a rocky stretch for the bullpen during the K-Baseball Series at the end of the regular season, where national team pitchers issued 23 walks across two games.
“I hope the pitchers don’t see the game as too difficult,” veteran left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin advised younger teammates during the World Baseball Classic in March. Ryu, 39, pointed out that surrendering a home run is sometimes unavoidable, but self-inflicted crises via free passes derail a team’s rhythm.
Choe watched from the dugout when the pitching staff struggled with control during an opening matchup against the Czech Republic. Even though pitchers closed out frames with consecutive strikeouts, the high walk totals extended innings and forced the coaching staff into early relief changes.
Choe comes off a heavy workload during the domestic season, appearing in 61 games and throwing 60 and two-thirds innings. He recorded five wins, three losses, 15 saves, and 10 holds with a 3.71 ERA while alternating between closer and high-pressure relief duties.
“We’ve had dinners and talked a lot to get to know each other better, so I think we’ll be able to play baseball without reservations when we’re in Japan,” Choe told reporters.
Addressing players stepping onto the Tokyo Dome mound for the first time, Choe offered a specific technical warning about the venue’s architecture. “The mound of the Tokyo Dome is high and has a certain slope, so if you’re not careful, the ball can sail upward; you have to look down when throwing,” he noted.
The squad arrived with clear championship ambitions rather than developmental goals. “We aren’t going with the mindset of going to learn, but this time we really have to win, so we’re going with a single idea: to win,” Choe said.
