'Middle fielder Moon Hyun-bin' Ryu Ji Hyun-ho reveals the starting lineup against Hanwha! 154km Taiwanese left-handers face each other. "I learned by sticking with Park Hae-min every day." [Okinawa Station]

*This content was translated by AI.

Ryu Ji-hyun (55) of the Korean national baseball team made a surprise appointment of Moon Hyun-bin (21) as center fielder.

Coach Ryu Ji-hyun unveiled the starting lineup of his second practice game against the Hanwha Eagles at Kochinda Stadium in Yase, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan on the 21st.

On this day, the national team consisted of Shin Min-jae (second baseman), Ahn Hyun-min (right wing), Kim Do-young (designated hitter), Moon Bo-kyung (first baseman), Koo Ja-wook (left wing), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Moon Hyun-bin (middle fielder), Kim Hyung-joon (poster), and Kim Joo-won (striker).

The starting pitcher is Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha) who will play two innings. Song Seung-ki will then play 6 innings with 2 innings, Yoo Young-chan (LG) and Cho Byung-hyun (SSG) will play 1 inning each. However, the attack runs all the way up to the seventh inning.

The most noticeable thing is Moon Hyun-bin's use of center field. Moon Hyun-bin was appointed as an infielder with the 11th ranking in the second round of the 2023 KBO Rookie Draft. Last year, he was definitely in left field and was also nominated for the Golden Glove, but center field is unfamiliar.

Before the game, head coach Ryu Ji-hyun said, "I have to leave out one person today, but I thought Park Hae-min's sense was the best, so I decided it would be better to give him a break," adding, "Moon Hyun-bin is learning well by sticking with Park Hae-min every day." We also have to prepare for various situations, so I wanted to see how we do it," he said.

It is also interesting that Ryu Hyun-jin, who returned to the national team for the first time in 16 years, will play his first real game against his former team Hanwha. In response, coach Ryu Ji-hyun said, "It's going out in a planned situation. I don't think the director should be in a hurry. "There were some players in good condition and some who fell, but I think everyone has their own plans," he said.

In response, Hanwha formed a lineup of Lee Won-seok (center fielder), Jonathan Ferraza (right wing), Kang Baek-ho (first baseman), Chae Eun-sung (designated hitter), Han Ji-yoon (left wing), Ha Joo-seok (second baseman), Lee Do-yoon (third baseman), Heo In-seo (captor), and Shim Woo-jun (striker). The starting pitcher is Taiwanese left-hander Wang Yancheng (25).

Wang Yancheng is a former member of the Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Japanese professional baseball league and joined Hanwha in the Asian quarter this year. It is perfect for the national team, which plays against Taiwan against various pitches with a maximum speed of 154 kilometers per hour as its main weapon.

Director Ryu Ji-hyun said, "When I met director Kim Kyung-moon in Australia, he said, 'Who will I pay?' I asked you to follow the schedule because I couldn't decide how, but I think you thought of many things. I am grateful for Samsung yesterday. Yesterday, Samsung also prepared the players who are currently the best at controlling and preparing. I'm playing with a grateful heart," he said.

The national team players, who have been called up to Okinawa, Japan, since the 14th, started the match against Samsung on the 20th. It is for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), which will be held in Tokyo, Japan from March 5.

After playing against Hanwha at Kochinda Stadium on the same day, Hanwha on the 23rd, KIA Tigers on the 24th, Samsung Lions on the 26th, and KT Wiz on the 27th will all play a total of six practice games in Okinawa alone at Kadena Stadium.

Initially, they were going to play practice games at each club's stadium, but they decided to proceed with the rest of the games as Kadena Stadium, which has the best facilities. Kwak Bin will be selected as the starting pitcher for the Hanwha match on the 23rd.

After that, the national team will move to Osaka, Japan, and have its last warm-up match with the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) on the 2nd and the Orix Buffaloes on the 3rd at Kyocera Dome.

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*This content was translated by AI.