[Official] Moon Dong-ju, Yoo Young-chan, Kim Taek-yeon, and Bae Chan-seung register the list of designated pitchers on WBC →'Call-up is possible when advancing to the quarterfinals'

*This content was translated by AI.

Ahead of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, the "Jokers" of the South Korean national baseball team, led by Ryu Ji-hyun (55), have been unveiled. Young KBO league pitchers, including Moon Dong-joo (23, Hanwha Eagles), who was unfortunately excluded from the final entry due to injury, are on the reserve list and are on standby for any possible contingency.

MLB.com , the official website of Major League Baseball, released the list of each country's "Designed Pitcher Pool (hereinafter referred to as DPP)" on the 11th (Korea Standard Time). On top of that, LG Twins right-hander Yoo Young-chan, Doosan Bears right-hander Kim Taek-yeon and Samsung Lions left-hander Bae Chan-seung were registered along with Moon Dong-joo, who unfortunately fell from the national team due to shoulder pain.

DPP is a regulation that has been established since the 2017 WBC competition. Unfortunately, the South Korean national team was eliminated every time in the first round stage, so there was no opportunity to use it. According to the WBC tournament regulations, up to four pitchers registered in the DDP can be replaced and deployed with existing entry pitchers after the end of the first round and up to two after the end of the quarterfinals.

In other words, if Ryu Ji-hyun, who meets the Czech Republic, Japan, Taiwan and Australia in Group C qualifying, passes the group qualifying round, he can replace the list of pitchers if necessary. If Moon Dong-ju's condition improves, he will be able to call him the U.S.

In fact, the DPP was introduced to limit the number of pitches and prevent injuries for pitchers. Each country can designate up to six reserve pitchers, and one-on-one replacement with pitchers in the entry is possible when advancing to the upper round. South Korea registered four players this time, securing flexibility in mound management in the main tournament.

Japan has registered as many as six pitchers, including Tatsuya Imai (28, Houston Astros), who entered the Major League for the first time ahead of this season, left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara (29, Washington Nationals), and left-hander Chihiro Sumida (27, Seibu Lions). In particular, Tatsuya Imai could theoretically be called up to the national team for the quarterfinals in Miami at Houston Spring camp.

Meanwhile, Taiwan and the Czech Republic, which also belong to South Korea in Group C, have not registered pitchers in the DPP.

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*This content was translated by AI.