"Three years ago, soldier → No. 4 hitter at the National University" Ahn Hyun-min was impressed, "I can prove my qualification enough, my goal is to win 4 games."

*This content was translated by AI.

Ahn Hyun-min (23, KT Wiz), who watched the World Baseball Classic (WBC) held three years ago as a soldier, has achieved his status as the fourth batter of the national baseball team. Ahead of the 2026 WBC match against the Czech Republic, Ahn Hyun-min remained stronger and more confident than ever.

Ahn Hyun-min held a pre-press conference at Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 5th. He stood in front of reporters as the fourth batter.

The Korean national team will play Kim Do-young (designated hitter, KIA Tigers) at the match against the Czech Republic at 7 p.m.-The starting lineup was set up in the order of Germay Jones (left fielder, Detroit Tigers), Lee Jung-hoo (center fielder, San Francisco Giants), Ahn Hyun-min (right wing, KT Wiz), Moon Bo-kyung (first baseman, LG Twins), Shay Witcom (third baseman, Houston Astros), Kim Hye-sung (second baseman, LA Dodgers), Park Dong-won (catcher, LG) and Kim Joo-won (striker, NC Dinos). He came out with the same lineup as the Orix Buffaloes match in Osaka on the 3rd.

Ahead of the match, Ahn Hyun-min took the heavy responsibility of being the fourth batter of the national team in this tournament. In an interview, he said, "I know that the No. 4 hitter position in Korea is heavy, but I don't feel much pressure."

In particular, he was deeply moved by the recollection of his past military service days. Ahn Hyun-min said, "Exactly three years ago, I was a soldier. At that time, I watched the competition from the stands and vowed, 'I'm going to go out there in three years.' There were skeptical views around him, but he made his dream a reality after believing in himself and preparing it. "I'm satisfied just to stand here, and I think I can prove that I'm fully qualified," he said, expressing confidence.

Ahn Hyun-min was simply the best hitter in the KBO league in the 2025 season. In 112 games for KT, he played a batting average of 0.334 (132 hits in 395 at-bats) with 22 home runs and 80 RBIs (on-base plus slugging) with 1.018, which was also a very outstanding record. In particular, he showed very strong performance in the national team warm-up match held in November last year, drawing high expectations. Ahn Hyun-min, who has been selected as a WBC member since the Saipan camp conducted by the national team in January, has steadily built up his body and will be the fourth batter.

He also expressed confidence in his performance in the tournament. Regarding the atmosphere within the team, Ahn Hyun-min said, "Everyone is shouting, 'Let's win four games unconditionally,' rather than thinking it's the first game. The atmosphere in the squad is very good. It is an atmosphere that can produce lively and endless results," he said, strengthening his will to win. He also added, "As I'm still a young player, I want to convey my message with hot play inside the stadium rather than words."

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*This content was translated by AI.