"I've never slept peacefully."" He also claimed to be "more than imagined" for the first time in the offseason and "injection treatment" for the first time in the offseason

*This content was translated by AI.

Won Tae-in (26, Samsung Lions), who recently fell from the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team due to an elbow injury, expressed his feelings honestly. Won Tae-in's heartache so far was beyond the fans' imagination.

"I was very disappointed in myself," Won Tae-in said ahead of a practice game between the Korean national baseball team and Samsung at Akama Stadium in Onnason, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan on the 20th. I've never slept peacefully since the day I fell because I felt so lost," he said honestly.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) officially announced on the 15th, "We confirmed Yoo Young-chan (LG Twins) as a replacement for Samsung's Won Tae-in, who has become difficult to participate in the WBC due to injuries and asked the WBC organizing committee to approve the replacement of players."

The cause was elbow pain felt during Samsung's first spring camp in Guam, a U.S. territory, last month. He hurriedly returned to Korea and underwent the first examination, but no special findings were found. He then accompanied the team to the second camp in Okinawa. However, the pain continued, and Won Tae-in even mobilized injection treatment that he had never tried in his career during the offseason. He claimed to be one of his aspirations to go to the U.S. (main ship) with the national flag somehow.

Won Tae-in said, "It's my first time getting a shot in the offseason while playing baseball. Because I had time in the offseason, I could take my time (even if it hurts a little). But this time, I really wanted to go to WBC so badly. I wanted to avenge the last tournament, and I wanted to take off the image that I was only good at throwing in Korea," he said honestly.

"It was such a stimulating competition for myself. I had a bad feeling from Guam, so I asked my training coach and coach for permission and got a shot in Korea. I asked him to let me play catch in Okinawa and join the national team. But he didn't recover. Even though he endured the pain in this condition, it was a nuisance to the national team and was not polite to the Samsung team. "I didn't think I was going to play only in the national team and take a break during the regular season," he stressed.

Despite all the efforts, the pain did not go away. Won Tae-in eventually returned to Korea once again on the 13th and underwent a thorough examination. There, he was diagnosed with a first-stage elbow flexor injury and was finally eliminated from the national team. He is the ace of blue blood who refused to be interviewed for a while due to the sense of loss. The interview also concerned that he might be taking away the attention that will be focused on the first warm-up match between the national team and Samsung.

Won Tae-in said, "I thought it was a nuisance for me, not a national team player, to get attention. I couldn't help and live up to my belief, but I'm really sorry for the national team because this situation happened on an important day, the first game of the national team," he said.

"In fact, I decided to do this interview today (20th) and make up my mind on my own. To be honest, it has been so hard that I have not even had an interview for a while. However, with this interview, I will shake off all my burdens and cheer for the national team hard. As a Samsung Lions player again, I will do my best to win this season," he said.

Won Tae-in, who is currently focusing on relieving the pain, decides to rehabilitate through a reexamination about two weeks later. "I think I'll have to wait until my elbow recovers, but I think the opening game is actually unclear," he said in a surprise statement. "I'm going to discuss with the club whether I can enter the season right away even if I don't miss it for a long time," he said, adding, "Fortunately, it's not a big injury." "I'm glad that the ligament and this side are fine and only the muscles seem to be injured," he added.

He sent a message of support to Yoo Young-chan, who joined the national team on his behalf. Won Tae-in said, "I think this is the world of professionals. It's natural to take the opportunity if someone gets hurt. I'm very sorry for myself, but I heard that (Yoo) Young-chan really wanted to go," he said with a smile. He continued, "That's why I really congratulate you. I don't know how much my share will be in the national team, but I hope Young-chan will play better than me in a really important situation and help the Korean national team win."

Korean baseball fans and Samsung fans who wanted to see national team ace Won Tae-in also asked for enthusiastic support for Ryu Ji-hyun. Won Tae-in said, "Actually, I've rarely played a decisive role in the national team so far. So even without me, I think the Korean national team is a strong team. The past three tournaments have failed, and this tournament has more injured players than expected. But I really want everyone to unite and go to the U.S. by chartered plane (which opens the main ship)," he said.

"I think the national team is supported by all fans of the 10 KBO teams. So I'm really sorry that I can't show such a good performance to all the fans who supported the national team." It's a shame that we couldn't show "Won Tae-in for the national team" to Samsung Lions fans who were most worried. However, in the regular season, I really want to promise that I will return to the state where I can throw my best on the mound in good health as always," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.