[breaking news] Selected by against South Korea / vs. Korea Australia → LG left-hander Wells from Keum! Son Joo-young, a 'colleague' player, has a showdown with the starting lineup

*This content was translated by AI.

Is it a joke of fate. In the showdown between South Korea and Australia, the biggest watershed in the first round of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) finals, the mountain that South Korean batters should overcome is none other than Lachlan Wells (29) of the LG Twins, who plays in the "KBO League." Wells will face Son Joo-young, a teammate of the LG Twins, as a starter.

After the match against Japan at the Tokyo Dome on the 8th, Australian manager Dave Nielsen announced Wells as the starting pitcher for the against South Korea / vs. Korea at 7 p.m. on the 9th at an official press conference as the loser. Coach Nielsen said, "The against South Korea / vs. Korea selection has been Wells since the start of the tournament." Earlier in the day, South Korea predicted left-hander Son Joo-young as the starting pitcher against Australia.

As expected, the card Australia chose was Wells, a "Korea expert." Wells, who experienced the KBO league by playing as a substitute for the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2025 season, has been selected as the LG Twins' "Asia Quarter No. 1" player this season and continues to have a deep relationship with Korean baseball. In the 2025 season, he played four games for Kiwoom, recording 1-1 with a 3.15 ERA. After receiving good reviews, he will play on the Korean stage in the 2026 season.

For Australia, Wells, who understands the tendencies and weaknesses of Korean batters, is the best option. In particular, Wells proved that his ball power is at its peak at the LG spring camp in February, with a maximum speed of 148km/h fastball and a sharp change-up.

Wells' line-up for the Korean national team is lined with LG teammates from his team, "cheerfully." As many as seven LG players, including Park Dong-won, Moon Bo-kyung, Shin Min-jae and Park Hae-min, have to destroy Wells with the national flag.

After the match against Taiwan on the 8th, Son Joo-young met with reporters and said, "It has been decided to start against Australia ahead of the match against Japan. He took the mound voluntarily against Japan and faced about three batters, and he is in good physical condition. You have to throw all your energy, and you don't have to hit a home run. "I think we have to keep it sharp even if we give him a walk," he said.

Son Joo-young then said, "I have a feeling of pressure, but I remember overcoming this crisis several times in my team LG. I will recover my condition well and do my best to throw it," he added.

South Korea suffered the pain of being eliminated in the first round after losing to Australia in the 2023 WBC. If this game is lost, it will be virtually frustrating to advance to the quarterfinals. In particular, for the national team, which lost to Taiwan on the 8th, it must concede two runs or less and beat Australia by more than five points.

For the Korean national team, which is on the brink of a cliff, Wells is a wall that must be overcome and paradoxically the best-known opponent. Among the two pitchers who will throw the ball for the national team's victory, not their "colleague" on the mound at Tokyo Dome, baseball fans will be looking at Tokyo Dome at 7 p.m. on the 9th.

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*This content was translated by AI.