*This content was translated by AI.
"If you do it, it could lead to major injuries."
When asked about a pitcher who will fill the vacancy of Son Joo-young (28, LG Twins), who was out due to injury, Ryu Ji-hyun (55), head coach of the national baseball team, shook his head that it was not Moon Dong-ju (23, Hanwha Eagles). In reality, Riley Jun-young O'Brien (31, St. Louis) is likely to fill the position.
Coach Ryu Ji-hyun met with reporters in front of his accommodation after arriving in Miami, USA on a chartered flight on the 11th (Korea Standard Time).
According to MBC, KBS, and SBS, director Ryu Ji-hyun said, "Moon Dong-ju has now thrown a blue-and-white match once. I'm telling you, this is not the time to build up, he said. "I need it, so I've trained Saipan first. The degree of throwing in the Cheongbaek match and the intensity of throwing in this important situation are completely different. It could lead to major injuries. I can't help but take that into account. The thoughts of the club and the national team should also be shared. We have to make a careful judgment," he said.
Moon Dong-ju, who played the first Saipan camp together and was expected to play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) by throwing the fastest ball in the national team, injured his shoulder ahead of the final entry announcement. He has recently recovered and is pitching in the Blue and White match, but manager Ryu Ji-hyun shook his head.
We need to find a replacement due to Son Joo-young's injury. Son Joo-young, who pitched well against Japan with one hit and one strikeout in one inning, took the mound as a starting pitcher against Australia and allowed one hit and one walk in one inning, but was suddenly withdrawn as soon as he took the mound in the second inning.
An LG official said on the 11th, "As a result of Son Joo-young's hospital examination, he was diagnosed with 10 days of pitching rest due to inflammation and swelling of the left elbow's ileus (inner muscles of the forearm)."
Coach Ryu Ji-hyun also said, "From what I just heard, it's not a big deal. "I was so fortunate to hear that I could rest and prepare in about 10 days," he said. "Realistically, I think it's difficult to join Miami given the schedule here and Son Joo-young's situation."
In reality, O'Brien is listed as the most realistic and helpful candidate. O'Brien and St. Louis were initially at the end of talks about joining the national team and were listed in the final entry.
However, he later suffered a calf injury, and coach Ryu decided that it would be difficult for O'Brien to improve his condition in line with the schedule of the first round of the WBC, and eventually selected Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan) as a substitute.
The national team, which passed the first round in a miraculous scenario, was headed to Miami, the U.S., but Son Joo-young was unable to join. With the need to find a replacement quickly, it is difficult to think of a replacement except for O'Brien, who can join the U.S. directly and has no difficulty adjusting to time difference.
Asked about O'Brien, head coach Ryu Ji-hyun said, "I think I need to check it out. I threw an exhibition game once, and I think I threw it today. "I think we have to watch the situation after the pitch again," he said, when asked if he was the first priority, "Didn't he just arrive?" It's 3 a.m. (laughs). I'll talk to you tomorrow. There will be a time to speak," he said, avoiding a definite answer.
O'Brien's ability to become the main finisher for St. Louis at the end of last season by spraying a fiery fastball of 160km/h in a situation where he had to face a hitting line in the Dominican Republic or Venezuela is like a heaven and earth for the national team dreaming of a miracle.
I'm concerned about the injury, but after returning, I took the mound twice in exhibition games and finished pitching without any problems. In the game against the New York Mets on the 11th, he showed control anxiety, but he had no physical problems, and he threw 27 balls, including 99.2 miles (159.6 kilometers) per hour, signaling that he had no problem playing in the game.
Moreover, there is no burden of time difference. Tokyo, which played the first round against South Korea, has no time difference, but there is a whopping 13-hour difference from Miami. Three days later, the game has to be played immediately, and the national team's biggest weakness is considered the bullpen. Although Son Joo-young is a starting resource, he is only looking at O'Brien because it is more urgent to strengthen the bullpen in the single-round match, where every game is the final.
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*This content was translated by AI.
