Taiwan and Japan raise "ultra-high alert" over Korean U-18 pitching and hitting pillars Ha Hyun-seung and Eom Jun-sang: "Will he appear in the Taiwan game?" Storm of questions

*This content was translated by AI.

Competitor nations eyeing the summit of Asian youth baseball are focusing their attention on Korea's "pitching and hitting pillars," Ha Hyun-seung (Busan High) and Eom Jun-sang (Deoksu High).

On the 6th, one day before the opening of the 14th Asian Youth Baseball Championship, the joint media conference held in Taipei, Taiwan, was ablaze with intense interest from reporters covering the Korean delegation. Immediately after the official press event concluded, a large number of Taiwanese and Japanese reporters swarmed around Jung Yun-jin, head coach of Korea's under-18 national team.

The hottest topic of concern was whether ace pitcher Ha Hyun-seung would take the mound. Taiwanese reporters persistently asked, "Is it true that Ha Hyun-seung is being mentioned as the starter for the Taiwan game?" When Coach Jung responded with a decoy strategy, stating, "We have several high-level right-handed pitchers on the roster, so nothing has been decided yet," the reporters pressed further, asking, "Does that mean the appearance of a right-handed pitcher is now confirmed?" This revealed the heightened tension in Taiwan, which views the first group-stage match against Korea as effectively a final showdown.

The opposing manager also singled out Ha Hyun-seung. Yang Xiao-qing, the Taiwanese head coach, said, "We are closely watching Ha Hyun-seung," and highly praised him, noting that his skills have improved noticeably compared to when he was on the Ji Nan-hae (CEO) team last year.

Rival teams' scrutiny of Eom Jun-sang, the "Korean Ohtani" who handles both the batter's box and the mound, was also significant. Chang Yi-an, a Taiwanese shortstop who plays as a two-way player, named Eom Jun-sang as his top priority for caution, stating, "We faced him in last year's U-18 Baseball World Cup. He is an excellent player with both power and defensive ability."

Outside the event venue, interest from Taiwanese media in Eom Jun-sang continued. When a Taiwanese reporter mentioned his nickname "Korea's Ohtani," Eom Jun-sang replied, "It is an honor to be called by the name of such a world-class player." Regarding concerns about intensified scrutiny due to his confirmed move to Major League Baseball (MLB), he showed confidence, saying, "I have maintained last year's strengths and thoroughly addressed my weaknesses. I will show you a good performance."

According to officials from the Korea Baseball and Softball Association, even the strong favorite Japan had already identified Ha Hyun-seung as a key asset of the Eom Jun-sang-eul (CEO) team and completed its power analysis long ago. Amidst the "ultra-high alert" from rival nations, the Korean national team will begin its quest to reclaim the Asian summit with its first match against Taiwan on the 7th.

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*This content was translated by AI.