'Korean Miracle 5:0→6:0→6:1→7:0→7:1→7:2→8:0→8:1→8:2 Is it possible?' Good news → Australia's starting Korea Wells There is a 'LG coach = national team pitching coach' who knows better than anyone else. [WBC]

*This content was translated by AI.

As the Korean baseball team is aiming to advance to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time in 17 years, attention is being paid to the starting pitchers of both teams. Coincidentally, the starting pitchers of the two teams are Son Joo-young of the LG Twins and Lachlan Wells, a foreign pitcher in the Asian quarter of LG.

The Korean baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun, will play the final Group C match of the first round of the 2026 WBC finals against the Australian baseball team at Tokyo Dome, Japan, at 7 p.m. on the 9th. It is a single-round match in which South Korea's ticket to the quarterfinals, which is on the edge of the cliff, is at stake.

South Korea lost 4-5 in the third game against Taiwan on the 8th after a game of extra time in the 10th inning. South Korea, which won 11-4 against the Czech Republic earlier, has lost both the match against Japan (6-8 loss) and the match against Taiwan, and the atmosphere is subdued. His group stage performance was one win and two losses, and he ranked fourth in Group C.

But it's not time to lose hope yet. This is because there is a miracle-like 'number of cases' left. Arithmetically, South Korea must win the match against Australia by more than five points, holding the loss to less than two points. In other words, if you win with scores such as 5-0, 6-0, 6-1, 7-0, 7-1, 7-1, 7-2, 8-0, 8-1, 8-2, etc., you can advance to the quarterfinals dramatically. However, if more than three points are lost, Korea's elimination will be confirmed regardless of the result of the game.

Son Joo-young will take the mound in this important showdown. Son Joo-young took the mound in 30 games in the 2025 season and recorded 11 wins, 6 losses and a 3.41 ERA. In a total of 153 innings, he recorded 153 hits (eight home runs), 49 walks, 132 strikeouts, 67 runs (58 earned runs) per inning (WHIP) of 1.32 and a batting average of 0.262.

Son Joo-young took the mound at Korea-Japan match on the 7th and pitched one hit and no runs in one inning. Son Joo-young said, "I was informed Korea-Japan match ago that I would start against Australia," adding, "I took the mound against Japan and voluntarily went out to get the hang of it by facing about three batters." He said, "I'm in perfect condition at the moment."

South Korea must minimize lost points unconditionally. In particular, it is most important to suppress home runs. Son Joo-young said, "We have to win unconditionally, and we have to not give points. While pitching all-out, I will not allow a home run," he said, renewing his determination.

What's interesting is the starting pitcher of the opposing team Australia. This is because left-hander Wells, who is familiar to domestic fans, will take the mound as a starter. He joined the Kiwoom Heroes as an alternative foreign player during last season, and pitched in four games with a 1-1 record and a 3.15 ERA.

And before this season, LG's uniform will be worn through the Asian quarter system, which will be newly introduced into the KBO league. Coincidentally, Son Joo-young already spent January together at the Arizona camp in the United States. Wells pitched in 34 games in two seasons from 2023 in the Australian League, posting a 13-3 2.91 ERA in 154 ⅔ innings. In particular, in the 2023 season, he took the mound as a starter in nine games and was responsible for 47 ⅔ innings, recording a good 6-0 record with a 0.94 ERA. Accordingly, Wells won the Australian League MVP.

The good news for Korea is that there are many officials and players in the team who know him well. According to the LG club, during the Arizona camp in the U.S., LG's first-team pitching coach Kim Kwang-sam took the batter's box himself during Wells' bullpen pitching. Kim is also currently the national team's pitching coach. He said at the time, "As I heard, he showed impressive pitching. He is not the type to overwhelm the batter by restriction. However, the delivery power of the ball felt at the batter's box was much better than the speed of the ball. I talked to Park Dong-won, who received the ball, and I had a similar feeling," he said.

Wells said through the LG club, "KBO hitters have a lot of fouls, and I got the impression that bunting and baserunning are also active. I experienced that last year, and I'd like to keep that in mind this year as well. It's hard to tell you a specific strategy, but I'll prepare well and deal with it," he said. "I wanted to play for a team with a winning culture and a strong team. The team's biggest goal is to win the Korean Series, he said, expressing his determination to enter the KBO League. How will Wells pitch against Korean batters on the WBC stage.

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*This content was translated by AI.