Unlucky 36-year-old catcher caught in the 'Yang Eui-ji-Kang Min-ho Era' What dream do you want to achieve in WBC? [At Saipan]

*This content was translated by AI.

"I would be so happy to go out."

The dream of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which any baseball player has, is just around the corner. For Park Dong-won (36, LG Twins), he will finally have a chance on the WBC stage, which could be his last career.

Park Dong-won is on the list of Saipan's first camp compared to 2026 WBC, which has been going on since the 9th, and continues training.

Park Dong-won, who met with reporters after training on the 12th, said, "It's a competition I've wanted to go out a lot since a long time ago," adding, "It's not decided yet, but I think I'll be so happy to go out. It depends on what I think, but I think if I go out of that competition, I can think that I've achieved everything," he said.

Park Dong-won, who made his debut in 2009, went through the Nexen Heroes (the predecessor of Kiwoom), the KIA Tigers, and the LG Twins, and won two titles in his current team. He also hit 176 home runs and established himself as a catcher with a single stroke. However, I couldn't reach WBC.

Kang Min-ho (Samsung) and Park Kyung-wan (retired) competed as rookies in 2009, Kang Min-ho was defeated by Jin Gap-yong (retired) in 2013, Yang Eui-ji (Doosan) was defeated by Kim Tae-gun (Samsung) in 2017, and Yang Eui-ji and Lee Ji-young (SSG) in 2023.

I had to watch it only on TV, but I still remember the thrilling moment. "Son Min-han is still on YouTube a lot. "I remember the scene in 2006 when he used a wild ball against the strongest lineup to prevent hitters from using their hands," he said with a smile. "I also remember the scene where coach Lee Jin-young was called the national right fielder, and Lee Jong-beom hit a timely double and waved his arms and was out on his way to third base."

Have you ever imagined becoming a main character in history. Park Dong-won said, "I'm just thinking of going to Miami for the finals. It would be great if I did something like director Lee Jong-beom, but for now, all I think about is going to Miami because the Republic of Korea is good."

However, I have a small dream. It is to work with Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha), who commanded the Major League Baseball. Park Dong-won said, "I went out with Ryu Hyun-jin two years ago during the All-Star Game, and I caught Hyun-jin's ball, and I told Hyun-jin, 'My dream is to catch a major leaguer ball, so please throw it with all your strength,' but I think it would be a great honor to receive it once this time."

If that happens, Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG) will be the only one left in the "Ryu Kim Yang" left-hander trio. "If I work with Kim Kwang-hyun, I think I'll have pride in catching all the best pitchers in the league," Park Dong-won said with a smile. "And then I think I can evaluate (the three pitchers) only in my heart."

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*This content was translated by AI.