"He even sent a long text message." Was there such a big leaguer who wanted the national flag? The head coach was touched by the sincerity of the '163km Korean right-hander.'

*This content was translated by AI.

I wonder if there was a Korean big leaguer who wanted the national flag so much. Ryu Ji-hyun (55), the coach of the Korean national baseball team, told a touching story about the fall of Riley O'Brien (31, St. Louis Cardinals).

Ahead of the first practice game against the Samsung Lions at Akama Stadium in Onnason, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan on the 20th, head coach Ryu Ji-hyun said, "O'Brien sent a long message through the team leader of the KBO international team. I sent the story I wanted to tell, and I felt O'Brien's sincerity," he said.

O'Brien was one of the most highly anticipated major league players in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) Korean national team. However, he felt pain in his right calf while pitching a bullpen at the St. Louis spring camp on the 15th, and finally announced the news of his failure to join the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

He was the most skillfully anticipated Korean big leaguers participating. O'Brien is an active big leaguer right-hander who recorded 3 wins, 1 loss, 6 saves, a 2.06 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 48 innings in St. Louis last year with a maximum speed of 101 miles per hour (about 163 kilometers).

In anticipation of that, manager Ryu Ji-hyun said at the time of the announcement of the final list of the national team, "O'Brien is a strong pitcher in the big league as well. I haven't asked about my position yet, but I have a closer in mind. Between the 7th and 9th innings, the team plans to put it in when it is most needed," he said.

Her extraordinary desire for the national flag was also a hot topic. O'Brien was of Korean descent, using his middle name as "Junyoung." He had a Korean mother and an American father, and he was able to go to the Korean national team thanks to the special regulations that allowed him to participate as a parent's country of birth or nationality.

According to Ryu Ji-hyun, O'Brien was favorable to the selection of the Korean national team. Recently, it was known that O'Brien also planned a family trip through this competition, making it unfortunate.

Director Ryu Ji-hyun, who mentioned this, said, "It's been in some articles, but as far as I know, even O'Brien's family had great expectations. So I prepared hard, but it's a pity. He said he would really go there if he had another chance, but he felt his sincerity when he met me twice," he said calmly.

O'Brien's vacancy will be taken by Kim Taek-yeon (21), the 2024 KBO Rookie of the Year and Doosan Bears closer. The common opinion was that Kim Taek-yeon was the best prepared player at this point.

Manager Ryu Ji-hyun said, "I contacted some KBO team managers directly. As a result, it was Kim Taek-yeon who was most prepared and in good condition. As things stand now, there is nothing we can do with our name. "The most important thing was how to bring out your abilities as much as possible in March," he explained.

O'Brien, who was the most reliable bullpen pitcher, will inevitably change his national team strategy. Since it is not easy to get hurt more here, coach Ryu Ji-hyun did not even advance Kim Taek-yeon's joining.

Doosan, which hosted a spring camp in Sydney, Australia, will leave for Miyazaki, Okinawa, Japan, on the 22nd after returning to Korea on the 20th. Like the Doosan team, Kim Taek-yeon will return to Korea on the 20th and join the national team on the afternoon of the 21st. As the national team turned the preliminary day, which was expected to rain on the 22nd, to a holiday, Kim Taek-yeon will be able to take more than a day off.

Coach Ryu Ji-hyun said, "I hope there will be no more injured players. "I'm going to start today (20th), and I hope I can raise my physical condition to 100% until the start of the competition," he said. "Kim Taek-yeon also told me not to change my flight ticket and to follow the plan." Rather than busy coming in alone, I wanted to relax and prepare because I had to move anyway," he explained.

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*This content was translated by AI.