*This content was translated by AI.
Finally, the full baseball team is coming up. The national baseball team, which had the first camp in Saipan and the second camp in Okinawa, Japan, became 100% full-fledged in Osaka.
The baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun (55), will play an exhibition match against the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan, at 12 p.m. on the 2nd.
Ahead of the first group match against the Czech Republic at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) on the 5th, it is an opportunity for all three overseas players and Korean players to join to check their elite performance.
There were ups and downs. He set up the first camp and had an opportunity to raise his body early, and coach Ryu Ji-hyun went through a process of being very satisfied, but the problem was that the number of injuries continued.
Kim Ha-sung (Atlanta) and Song Sung-moon (San Diego) were both eliminated due to injuries, while starting resources Moon Dong-joo (Hanwha) and Won Tae-in (Samsung), catcher Choi Jae-hoon (Hanwha) and Riley Jun-young O'Brien (St. Louis) were unable to join due to injuries.
Fortunately, except for Kim Hyung-joon (NC), all of them were replaced with those who had the first camp together, but it is true that they are somewhat different from the best members who can set up.
However, compared to previous WBCs, Tommy Hyun-soo Edman (LA Dodgers) was the only Korean player in 2023, but this time, three players joined.
The addition of Dane Dunning (Seattle), who has won 12 games as a starter in 2023 in the big league, Germay Jones (Detroit), who rebounded last year by showing destructive power, and Shay Witcom (Houston), a "super utility" who does not care inside and outside, raises expectations.
On top of that, captain Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco), who will lead the national team, is determined to make a different result from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2023 WBC, and is expected to build a strong center line with another big leaguer Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers).
In addition, Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha), Kim Do-young (KIA), and Ahn Hyun-min (KT), who boast a powerful hit in the KBO League and are developing their dreams to advance to the Major League, are also determined to show off their skills to the world on the WBC stage for the first time.
And the presence of Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha), who will appear on the WBC stage for the first time in 17 years, also raises expectations. He played as an ace in 2009 and led Korea to the runner-up, but has since failed to play for the national team due to injuries. In order to stabilize the national team's mound, he is expected to display a heavy presence on the mound along with Noh Kyung-eun (SSG), the oldest pitcher at the age of 43.
He improved his sense of practice by playing a practice game with KBO League teams in Okinawa, Japan, but the warm-up match with NPB teams has another meaning. This is because it is an opportunity for all overseas players to join hands and feet.
The national team, which will play Hanshin on the same day, will face the Orix Buffaloes at the same time on the 3rd and then move to Tokyo, where the main stage will be held. This game is attracting so much attention that all three terrestrial broadcasters are broadcasting live. In particular, many baseball fans are expected to pay attention to the Hanshinjeon, which will be held on alternative holidays.
There is a point to watch. Since it is a competition with a limit on the number of pitches, it is expected to be a game where you can get a glimpse of how to run the pitching staff accordingly and get hints on how to set up the best lineup.
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*This content was translated by AI.
