Moon Dong-ju, No. 4 hitter at Australian National University, 'Why' did he claim to be the KBO's second team

*This content was translated by AI.

Moon Dong-ju, the 4th batter of Australian National University, called himself the 'why' KBO second team... "This was the only decision I made to play baseball." [Ulsan]

This was the only way to defeat the ace of Korea and Japan in the international competition. Alex Hall (27, Ulsan Wales), the fourth batter of the Australian national baseball team, revealed why even the KBO second-tier team had to come.

Hall had no hits and one strikeout in four at-bats in the home opener of the 2026 Medi Hill KBO Futures League against the Lotte Giants Futures team at Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan on the 20th. In Hall's silence, Ulsan Wales experienced a 1-3 defeat.

Hall, who met with reporters before the game, said, "It's good to play in a high-quality game. It's been a week since I entered Korea, and I'm excited and happy to start my first game. The training process for the season was fun, and I'm preparing hard and well with my colleagues," he said.

In fact, Hall's trip to Ulsan and Wales was considered quite interesting. Hall, who went from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Major League call-up, stood out in international competitions. At the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), he hit a home run against Hiroto Takahashi (24, Chunichi Dragons), one of the best pitchers in the Japanese professional baseball (NPB).

In the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), he hit a home run off South Korean ace Moon Dong-ju (23, Hanwha Eagles). In this 2026 WBC, he also made a strong impression by drawing a solo arch against Japan's national closer Taisei Ota (27, Yomiuri Giants).

He also had nowhere else to play baseball. In Australian professional baseball, it is difficult for players to make a living from baseball alone due to the small number of games and size. However, he signed a one-year 90,000-dollar contract with Ulsan Wales to continue his dream of becoming a baseball player.

Hall chose to go to Korea because "I came to Korea because this was the only decision I made to play more baseball. First of all, I think I'll go back to Australia in the offseason, but I'm not sure what will happen next year," he said calmly. "If you play baseball hard, I think there will be other good opportunities. There is no specific purpose," he added.

Ulsan Wales coach Jang Won-jin, who met before the game, declared his intention to play the season early by putting the "Australian No. 4 hitter" hole and KBO 92 home run veteran Kim Dong-yeop (36) in a clean-up. In line with that expectation, he showed several good batting performances on the day, raising expectations for the future.

Hall also said, "I'm a player who always trains hard. As a player who prioritizes team wins over personal ones, I want to always do my best and work hard from small things," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.