Kwak Bin's realization of WBC, "I was embarrassed, now I will continue to compete even if I get 20 hits."" [Suwon Field Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

"I won't pitch any more running away."

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) enlightened Kwak Bin (27, Doosan Bears).

Kwak Bin told reporters after an exhibition game against KT Wiz in the 2026 KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 23rd, "Now I'll just keep throwing strikes." "I'll continue to play regardless of whether I get 10 hits or 20 hits," he said. "I don't know what the result will be, but I'm going to try that for a year."

On this day, Kwak Bin played in an exhibition game for the first time after 2026 WBC. He appeared in relief in two games at the WBC held earlier this month and allowed two hits (one home run), four walks, four strikeouts, one run and an ERA of 2.45 in three ⅔ innings. It wasn't too bad in terms of figures, but the content was disappointing. He hit a solo home run against Taiwan in the first round, and especially in the quarterfinals with the Dominican Republic, he struck out his first batter after starting Ryu Hyun-jin in the third inning with one out and runners on the first and second bases, but he left the mound after three consecutive walks and two consecutive pushing runs.

Kwak Bin said, "I was embarrassed and annoyed to see him running away too much in the Dominican Republic match. I'm just trying to change my mind that it's better to get hit," he said, adding, "I was also convinced that I have a strong ball. "Although it is still lacking a lot, I also thought that the quality of the second and third breaking balls should be improved," he added.

Would the change of thoughts have been reflected in the pitching. Although it was an exhibition game, he pitched well enough to live up to his ace's name in the game. In four innings, he threw 62 pitches and struck out as many as nine, giving up three hits and no runs without four outs. The maximum speed of the fastball (27) reached 155km/h, and the minimum 116km curve (16) and slider (15) were properly mixed and thrown.

He gave up a hit to leadoff hitter Choi Won-joon in the first inning, but he escaped the crisis lightly by striking out Kim Hyun-soo and Ahn Hyun-min by striking out second baseman fly and Hilliard. After finishing the second inning with three outs and one out in the third inning, Lee Kang-min hit a left-handed hit, but struck out Choi Won-joon and Kim Hyun-soo in a row.

In the fourth inning, Ahn Hyun-min and Hilliard also had four consecutive strikeouts. Later, Jang Sung-woo was allowed to hit the right field, but Ryu Hyun-in was struck out again. Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung (54) finished the pitch on the day by filling 60 pitches planned before the game. In particular, he struck out the opposing key batters Kim Hyun-soo and Hilliard in both at-bats, respectively.

Regarding the pitch, Kwak Bin said, "I wanted to increase my ability to catch a batter during two strikes, and I threw it with the thought that I would no longer pitch that didn't run away," adding, "I wanted to continue to play quickly in an advantageous ball count even if it wasn't a strikeout."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.