"Moon Bo-kyung can't play an exhibition game." WBC hero Korea is in pain... The possibility of a designated hitter is good at the opening game [the site of a water source]

*This content was translated by AI.

Hero Moon Bo-kyung (26, LG Twins), who led the Korean Baseball World Baseball Classic (WBC) to the quarterfinals for the first time in nine years, will miss all exhibition games.

Ahead of the 2026 KBO exhibition game against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 16th, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "Moon Bo-kyung will receive injection treatment today. I don't think there will be an exhibition game at all in my physical condition right now. "Defending is not easy even in the opening game," he said.

Earlier at 6 a.m., the 2026 WBC Korean national team, including Moon Bo-kyung, returned home through Incheon International Airport. South Korea advanced to the second round (the quarterfinals) for the first time since 2017. I almost suffered the pain of being eliminated in the first round for four consecutive tournaments. South Korea, which defeated the Czech Republic and lost to Japan and Taiwan in a row, had to beat Australia by more than five points and two runs or less in the final round of the first round.

The decisive role here is the LG Munjubo Sutra. Moon Bo-kyung scored four RBIs in the match against Australia, including the first two-run shot, raising South Korea to the quarterfinals. Although Moon Bo-kyung lost to the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinals 0-10, in the seventh inning of the cold game, Moon Bo-kyung's performance received worldwide attention.

He was even more praised for his back injury. During the defense of the fly ball against Japan, Moon Bo-kyung hit the third-base foul line fence hard and held his waist. This injury eventually adversely affected LG's preparation for the regular season.

Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "When it's bad, I try to manage it and try to go stable. There is no exhibition game at all, but if it gets a little better, we will send one or two games as designated hitters," he said.

"I don't think it would have been easy to deal with if our team's training coaches hadn't gone. I'm glad that the coaches who went to the national team know their physical conditions accurately," he said with a sigh of relief.

LG sent the largest number of people to the national team with seven, including Park Hae-min, Park Dong-won, Shin Min-jae, Yoo Young-chan, Son Joo-young, Moon Bo-kyung, and Song Seung-ki. Among them, Son Joo-young returned home midway after the first round due to an elbow injury, and Song Seung-ki was unable to take the mound at all and had to build up the starting pitcher again.

However, the head coach is calm. Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "In this WBC, Moon Bo-kyung has grown one step further in our team. That's enough. It was a difficult situation, but it is our income that we have grown from the LG Twins' No. 4 hitter to the national team's central hitter."

Players of the national team, who will join from the Incheon SSG Landers on the 18th, will adjust their participation according to their conditions. Park Hae-min and Shin Min-jae will play normally, and pitchers will proceed with individual build-ups after discussion.

Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "The players will join the Incheon game the day after tomorrow. Yoo Young-chan has built up since then and Song Seung-gi is the most problematic. "I'm not ready at all, so I think I can go out about twice (in the trial game) and throw 60-70 pitches and 4-5 innings in the opening game," he explained. Then, "Wells is Son Joo-young's place is going in. I expected a gap of about one person, but there were two people. This can't be helped. I wanted to run from the beginning, but I think I have to change my strategy and endure it well," he added.

On this day, LG's lineup was composed of Lee Jae-won (right wing), Chun Sung-ho (center fielder), Hong Chang-ki (designated hitter), Austin Dean (first baseman), Moon Sung-joo (left wing), Oh Ji-hwan (striker), Koo Bon-hyuk (second baseman), Jin-hyeon (third baseman), and Lee Ju-heon (catcher). The starting pitcher is Lachlan Wells.

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*This content was translated by AI.