Confidence in Taiwan's 'Fireballer' in the 'mid 150km' → Ryu Ji-hyun "I expected, prepared player"

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean national baseball team has strengthened its will to win ahead of the match against Taiwan. Ryu Ji-hyun (55), head coach of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team, expressed confidence in the opponent's starter, 'fireballer' Gurinrui Yang (26, Nippon Ham Fighters), saying, "We have been fully expecting and preparing."

The Korean baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun, will play against Taiwan in the third Group C match of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome, Japan, at 12 p.m. on the 8th.

Taiwan's national team put forward right-hander fastball pitcher Gurin Ruyi as the starting pitcher for the against South Korea / vs. Korea. Gurin Lui Yang is Taiwan's next-generation ace who throws fast balls up to mid-150km/h. Gurin Luyi, who dominated the Taiwan Professional Baseball League (CPBL) from the 2018 to 2024 season, moved to the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) ahead of the 2025 season.

He played seven NPB games in the 2025 season, recording 2 wins, 2 losses and a 3.62 ERA. He is a threatening pitcher with strong fastball and sharp fork balls in the mid-150km/h range. From the WBC preparation process, there have been constant talks that the against South Korea / vs. Korea selection is likely. However, he was somewhat sluggish in a closed practice game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on February 21, recording three hits and two runs in two innings.

Manager Ryu Ji-hyun said of Gurinrui, "We've been constantly expecting a pitcher," adding, "We've already been thoroughly preparing for the possibility of starting from the start of Okinawa's camp." As it has already been analyzed, it is interpreted that it will not panic and solve the game as prepared.

South Korea, which desperately needs to win against Taiwan and Australia due to its defeat against Japan the previous day, will pour out all the best available pitching resources, including starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha Eagles). Manager Ryu Ji-hyun stressed, "Today's game prepared the most reliable and strong pitchers we thought of from day one."

In particular, there are many variables such as a tight schedule of four consecutive games and a limit on the number of pitches, but the plan is to take out a clear card from the match point and set the winning spirit. Coach Ryu added, "If these players play long innings today and finish the game well, the positive trend will continue until tomorrow's game."

Meanwhile, Taiwan set up batting order in the order of Zheng Zheng (second baseman), Chen Chunwei (left wing), Stuart Fairchild (middle fielder), Zhang Yucheng (third baseman), Wu Yeng-ting (first baseman), Lin An-ker (right wing), Gilligilau Gongkuan (designated hitter), Lin Jia-jeong (captor), and Kang Kun-yu (striker). Chen Chun-wei, who swung a hard hit with two hits and three RBIs against the Czech Republic the previous day (7th), was forward-deployed from ninth to second.

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*This content was translated by AI.