"Moon Dong-ju OUT→Dunning IN" Ryu Ji Hyun-ho confirmed the final entry of 30 people for 2026 WBC... Four Korean Big Leaguers 'The Most Ever'

*This content was translated by AI.

Moon Dong-joo (23, Hanwha Eagles), the "Ace" of the Korean national baseball team, was eventually hampered by injury. Instead, Korean major leaguers Dunning (32, Seattle) and "submarine ace" Ko Young-pyo (35, KT Wiz) joined to complete the mound reorganization.

Ahead of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which will be held in March, the U.S. broadcaster MLB Network announced the entries of the participating countries sequentially. Ryu Ji-hyun, head coach of the national baseball team, will hold a press conference at the Seoul Press Center on the morning of the 6th and explain the final 30 entries for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC). The most noticeable change on the list is the exclusion of right-handed fastball pitcher Moon Dong-ju.

According to the Hanwha team, Moon Dong-ju stopped pitching on the 4th, complaining of sudden shoulder pain while pitching in the spring camp bullpen. In the end, he couldn't get on board, and he fills the vacancy with another pitcher. In particular, Dunning, who joined as a mixed Korean, has recently signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners.

In addition, Ko Young-pyo, a "quality start maker," was finally on board, adding to the stability of the mound. Ko Young-pyo is expected to play the role of a "sniper" targeting demanding opponents such as Japan and Taiwan based on his unique change-up and sophisticated control.

Young infielders such as Kim Do-young (KIA) and Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers) and experienced veterans such as Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha) and Park Dong-won (LG) are in harmony. Although Kim Ha-sung and Song Sung-moon were deeply worried about the infield, it is evaluated that the gap was minimized by the joining of Korean utility resources such as Shay Witcom (Houston Astros).

What stands out is that as many as four Korean major league players are included. Since Tommy Edman (31, LA Dodgers) joined the team as the first Korean-American mixed-race player at the 2023 tournament, the scale has been greatly expanded in this tournament.

On the mound, starting resource Dane Dunning and bullpen key Riley O'Brien (St. Louis) added weight. In the fielders, Shay Witcom (Houston), who can digest all infield positions, and Germai Jones (Detroit), an internal and external utility resource, joined. Based on their experience in the Major League, they are expected to fill the gap of existing main players such as Kim Ha-sung, who was dropped due to injury, as well as raise the overall power of the national team to the next level.

Ryu Ji-hyun will start his second round of convocation training in Okinawa on February 15 and begin the preliminary round at Tokyo Dome, starting with the first match against the Czech Republic on March 5.

<Final list of 2026 WBC>

- Pitchers: Son Joo-young, Song Seung-ki (LG), Jung Woo-ju, Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha), Cho Byung-hyun, Noh Kyung-eun (SSG), Won Tae-in (Samsung), Kim Young-kyu (NC), So Hyung-joon, Ko Young-pyo, Park Young-hyun (KT), Kwak Bin (Doosan), Ko Woo-seok (minor under the Detroit Tigers), Dane Dunning (Seattle Mariners), and Riley O'Brien (St. Louis).

- Catchers: Park Dong-won (LG), Choi Jae-hoon (Hanwha).

- Infielders: Moon Bo-kyung, Shin Min-jae (LG), Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha), Kim Joo-won (NC), Kim Do-young (KIA), Witcom (Houston), and Kim Hye-sung (Dodgers).

- Outfielders: Park Hae-min (LG), Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha), Koo Ja-wook (Samsung), Ahn Hyun-min (KT), Jamai Jones (Detroit), and Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants). There are 30 people.

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*This content was translated by AI.