*This content was translated by AI.
With the opening of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) just around the corner in March, an American reporter's cold-headed analysis of the Korean baseball team came out. Despite the joining of four Korean Major League Baseball players, he made a cold diagnosis that higher-rated Taiwan's power, which has gained momentum as a "natural enemy."
MLB Network, a WBC broadcaster, released the final roster of 20 countries participating in the WBC competition on the 6th (Korea time) to introduce a rough game and notable players. John Morosi, a renowned reporter for the Major League's official website MLB.com , introduced the Korean roster and pointed out Ryu Hyun-jin and expressed, "I wonder how much fuel he has left in his tank." In fact, it seemed to leave the question of whether he would maintain his skills seen in the peak major leagues.
Ryu Hyun-jin is a legend in Korean baseball in name and reality. He is a player who has achieved tremendous performances on both the U.S. and Korean stages. He is a pitcher who has 78 wins, 48 losses and an ERA of 3.27 in 186 games (185 starts) in the Major League from the 2013 to 2023 season. He ranked second in the National League Cy Young Award with 14 wins, 5 losses and a 2.32 ERA in the 2019 season when he was the Dodgers, and ranked third in the American League Cy Young in the 2020 season, his first year moving to Toronto. He was an experienced pitcher who competed for the Cy Young Award in the two major leagues.
It was the same in the KBO league. Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned to his former team, Hanwha, ahead of the 2024 season, is currently 117-67 with a 2.95 ERA in 244 KBO league games ahead of the 2026 season. At the age of 39, he was selected for the WBC national team.
Morosi is said to be a reporter who is particularly interested in Ryu Hyun-jin. When the Dodgers and Toronto matched up in the 2025 World Series in October last year, Ryu Hyun-jin was suddenly digested. It meant that Ryu Hyun-jin's club, including Hanwha, played the fall baseball until the end. Some even analyzed that whether Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned to the national team at the age of 39, will be able to show as much dominance as he was in his heyday is a key variable that will determine Korea's advance to the quarterfinals.
In particular, MLB Network analyzed the Group C game, which includes Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, and Australia, and dominated Taiwan. He paid particular attention to the momentum of winning the Premier 12 in 2024. The panel, including Morosi reporters, said, "If you look at the recent trend, Taiwan is slightly more likely to advance to the quarterfinals as the second place in the group after Japan than Korea. Still, it is said that Korea has also increased its power compared to the previous tournament. "I'm trying to recreate the glory of the 2009 tournament when Choo Shin-soo played," he said.
Despite the cold evaluation, there was also praise for Kim Do-young (23, KIA Tigers). Morosi named Kim Do-young "a must-see name in this tournament," and praised his brilliant style of play and potential. In particular, he mentioned that Kim Do-young picked MLB star Fernando Tatis Jr. as his role model, introducing his experience of having a direct conversation with the player.
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*This content was translated by AI.
