Korea's 12-game losing streak against Japan: 'Bitter Korean Baseball'... "We Must Change Everything, or the Gap Will Only Widen," Says Sharp-Tongued Critic

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Since 2015, Korea has recorded one draw and 12 losses against Japan, failing to secure a single victory. The term "rival" has lost its meaning, as Japanese baseball has now become a "natural enemy." Lee Seung-yeop (50), former manager of the Doosan Bears, who experienced Japanese baseball both as a player and a coach, pointed out the cold reality.

Former manager Lee Seung-yeop met with reporters on the 14th at Seoul Songpa-gu Jamsil Baseball Stadium ahead of the "Jamsil The Last Inning by Renault" Legends Match to diagnose the current state of Korean baseball.

Korea has failed to win against Japan for 11 years, following a 4-3 comeback victory in the 2015 Premier 12 semifinals. Even at the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), with only the final match remaining, Korea lost to Japan 5-9 in the preliminary round.

Former manager Lee, who spent a year as a hitting coach for the Yomiuri Giants, where he played during his active career, felt that the pace of development in Japanese baseball was terrifying. "In fact, there is a level gap. It will be difficult if we continue like this, and the gap will only widen in the future," he began by pointing out the cold reality.

The biggest cause of the gap, according to him, was the "harmony between tradition and modernization." Former manager Lee stated, "Japan also tries to follow American baseball a lot. While they have their own unique practice methods and culture, every aspect of their training process has been modernized, including biomechanics, Rapsodo, and exit velocity measurement," adding, "They maintain their strengths while accepting what should be accepted and boldly discarding what should be discarded. That is why their level is much higher than expected."

He analyzed that a significant gap is emerging particularly in the height and depth of the pitching staff. Former coach Lee pointed out, "The pitcher who started second in the preliminary round was a player who consistently rotated in my league, but he only had 4 or 5 wins. Even so, it is actually not easy to figure him out."

The reason Korean batters particularly struggle to time their swings against Japanese pitchers also lay in the pitchers' detail and sense. He noted, "There is a huge difference in pitcher levels. Nine out of ten make slight changes to their pitching form that are invisible to the eye," adding, "From the outside, you might think, 'Why can't they hit that ball?' but when actually standing at the plate, they often fail to connect. Because we keep falling behind in these very detailed aspects, our country needs to reconsider."

Korean baseball reached its peak with fourth-place finishes and runner-up results in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC), and a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Former manager Lee, who was a key figure in the 2006 WBC and the Beijing Olympics, emphasized that it is time to look back at reality coldly.

"The fact that we have not won once in 12 matchups is a problem our baseball community must take seriously," he said, adding, "Now, Korea and Japan are less like partners; rather, we are in a position of chasing from below."

However, the end of facing this bitter reality was by no means despair. He did not forget to convey a message of hope that the gap could be closed again if accompanied by thorough reflection and change.

Former manager Lee raised his voice, saying, "If there is such a transitional period, the gap will narrow again, and someday, like during the Olympics or WBC, that day of cheering will come again," adding, "To shorten that period even a little, we naturally need to approach everything differently, from practice methods and players' awareness to the mindset of baseball people."

Although Korea suffered two losses in the APBC preliminary round, it defeated Taiwan 6-5 to secure second place in Team Quality Balance (TQB), ahead of Taiwan and Australia, setting up a rematch with Japan.

While the result of the APBC final on the 15th is important, what is more crucial is building competitiveness to stand toe-to-toe with Japanese baseball in the future and reaching a level where we can surpass them. Rather than simply looking at the result of losing to Japanese baseball, deeply examining why the gap has widened and accepting lessons if any exist could be the beginning of Korean baseball's development.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original