*This content was translated by AI.
Will "Korean pitcher" Riley O'Brien (31, St. Louis Cardinals) join in a surprise move on behalf of Son Joo-young (28, LG Twins), who was unable to board a flight to the U.S. due to injury. If his joining becomes a reality, it is expected to be a great help to the Korean baseball team, which has advanced to the quarterfinals like a miracle. O'Brien finished the exhibition game safely today (11th), showing that his physical condition is not abnormal.
O'Brien took the mound as a relief pitcher for the second time in the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) exhibition game against the New York Mets at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, Florida on the 11th (Korea time) and marked one run (one earned run) on four walks without hitting during ⅔ innings.
On this day, O'Brien took the mound in the bottom of the fourth inning when his team was trailing 1-4. However, he showed signs of shaking as his control did not go well.
O'Brien allowed a walk against leadoff hitter A.J. Ewing and even stole second base. The follow-up Jackson Cluff also walked on base.
However, the next batter, Marcus Semien, was thrown out with a fly ball in the foul area at first base. At the same time, he caught even second baseman A.J. Ewing, who tried to tag up from second base to third base, leading to a double play. In between, Cluff went all the way to second base.
He caught up to two outs, but O'Brien was shaken. The next batter is Jorge Polanco. However, O'Brien committed a wild pitch, and second baseman Cluff settled on third base. O'Brien threw a walk to Bobissett following Polanco, causing the bases-loaded crisis. In the end, O'Brien turned the mound over to Edwin Nunez. O'Brien's run increased to one point as Nunez was hit with a timely hit.
According to the Major League's official website MLB.com Game Day broadcast, O'Brien's maximum speed on the day was 99.2 miles (159.6 kilometers). The total number of pitches is 27. Of those, there were 11 strikes. O'Brien has pitched in two exhibition games this year. Earlier on the 8th, he also pitched one inning, one hit, one walk, and no runs against the New York Mets.
O'Brien was originally scheduled to join the Korean WBC national team. Unfortunately, however, he suffered a calf injury in February and failed to join the national team. At that time, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) held a power reinforcement committee and said, "O'Brien's injury made it difficult to participate in the WBC. "I selected Kim Taek-yeon as a substitute and asked the WBC Organizing Committee to approve the replacement of the players," he said.
O'Brien was born to an American father and a Korean mother. He also has a Korean name (middle name) called "Junyoung." The WBC tournament is not a nationality like the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics, but if your parents are born in Korea, you can participate as a Korean national team player. O'Brien decided to play in the Korean WBC national team for the first time through this competition.
Head coach Ryu Ji-hyun met with reporters before heading to Saipan, the first camp site of the WBC, last month and said, "As it is known from the outside, (Lily) O'Brien and (Jermai) Jones have been very active when they communicated since last year, and they still do. If there are no major problems, I expect to join," he said. Eventually, it was also included in the final list of WBC announced on February 6 and received expectations from Korean fans, but failed to participate in the first round due to injuries.
There is a possibility that O'Brien will wear the national flag in the quarterfinals. This is because Son Joo-young, who was an existing starting resource, was eliminated from the national team due to an elbow injury. O'Brien, who is currently on the reserve list, can play again as a South Korean in the quarterfinals. If that is the case, it can be said that the Korean national team is like a thousand troops. Will O'Brien be able to put on the national flag in front of Korean fans.
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*This content was translated by AI.
