"I'll play for my mother's country."" Dunning, who was desperate for the Taegeuk mark, hopes Ryu Ji-hyun-ho, the perfect build-up 'pitcher hole' in the SD practice game

*This content was translated by AI.

I was desperate to play for my mother's country. Korean pitcher Dane Dunning (32, Seattle Mariners) eventually wore his dream national flag and is emerging as a new hope amid a series of injuries.

Dunning started the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) exhibition game against the San Diego Padres at Peoria Stadium in Arizona on the 21st (Korea time) and pitched one hit, one strikeout, two walks and no runs in one ⅔ inning.

Following Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha) and Won Tae-in (Samsung), Dunning's good pitching is a ray of hope amid an emergency as big leaguer Riley Jun-young O'Brien (St. Louis), who was expected to take charge of the back door of the national team, left.

Dunning, who was expected to be drafted by the Washington Nationals as the 29th overall pick in the first round in the 2016 draft, debuted in the big leagues in 2020 and began to show his presence in MLB in earnest in 2021. In 2023, he started with 12 wins and an ERA of 3.70.

In that year's World Series, he also pitched as a bullpen pitcher three times and helped the Texas Rangers win the championship without giving up a single point. Would it have been too much to play 172 ⅔ innings, the most since his debut, and even fall baseball. The following year, ERA crashed to 5.31 and was released without leaving a clear mark after moving to the Atlanta Braves last year, but signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners last month that included invitations to spring camps.

Initially, national team coach Ryu Ji-hyun mentioned only O'Brien among pitchers and Germay Jones among fielders. In addition, expectations were high on who could be selected more, and the list announced on the 6th included Dunning's name along with Shay Witcombe (Houston).

Manager Ryu Ji-hyun said at the time, "Because there is a limit on the number of pitches under the rules of this tournament, there may be games that require two or three starting pitchers in a game," adding, "I thought Dunning was a player who could definitely play that role within 65 pitches as a starter or bullpen."

He also hinted that he plans to use it as a starter. As a bullpen, he has more stage experience than anyone else, so he can come out at a critical moment and take responsibility for long innings. The only obstacle was my recent condition, so I'm even more glad to see my hard pitching on this day.

Dunning, who started as a Seattle starter from the first day of the exhibition game, started nervously in the top of the first inning by giving up an infield hit to Xander Bogaerts and a walk to Jackson Merrill, but turned Manny Machado into a catcher foul fly ball, struck out fourth batter Fernando Tatis Jr. with a swing and miss, and right fielder Dominic Canzon threw himself to center field by Jake Cronenworth to erase the crisis.

In the top of the second inning, he gave up a walk to leadoff hitter Nick Castejanos, but he grounded out Luis Campusano to shortstop and Ty Frans to fly to first base before going down the mound. He threw 37 pitches and had a maximum speed of 90.3 miles (145.3 kilometers) per hour.

Ryu Ji-hyun, head coach of the national baseball team, emphasized how willing he is to the national team as a condition for Korean players to be selected for the national team during the first Saipan camp last month. O'Brien and Jones formed such a consensus, and Tommy Hyun-soo Edman (LA Dodgers), who was injured, also expressed regret in that respect.

At the time, he did not mention Dunning in particular, but he had a strong desire for the Korean national team more than anyone else. I wanted to play for Korea as a filial piety for my Korean mother. In the 2023 WBC, he also had a great will for the national team, but at that time, he swallowed his disappointment due to injuries. Now, he will proudly wear the national flag.

In a telephone interview with MLB Network in the U.S. on the 14th, he recalled when a national team official came to him with a uniform, saying, "It's definitely a tremendous honor to represent the Korean culture where my mother grew up and to represent her mother in Korea." My mother was so happy to see me in a uniform that she was so moved that she was speechless," he said.

The national team has been called up to Okinawa, Japan, since the 15th to play practice games with KBO League teams to develop practical experience and find the best combination. According to MLB regulations, it is difficult for big leaguers to join the second camp, but they are doing their best to build themselves in their place. Dunning plans to join Osaka, Japan in early March, and work with teammates of the national team for a short time just before the competition.

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*This content was translated by AI.