I felt like I was eliminated from the Premier 12 preliminaries… Challenges and possibilities of Korean baseball

(Taipei (Taiwan) = News 1) Reporter Jang Soo-young = Coach Ryu Joong-il of the Korean national team won 5-2 in the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 Group B preliminary match between Korea and Australia held at Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan on the afternoon of the 18th (local time). Greeting the fans. The national team won 3 wins and 2 losses in the Premier 12 preliminary round, but failed to advance to the super round held in Japan. 2024.11.18/News 1

“I’m sorry to the baseball fans. “We will address each and every problem discovered through this competition one by one.”

These are the regretful thoughts of coach Ryu Joong-il (61), who was frustrated in his bid to advance to the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 finals. Coach Ryu finished the final Group B preliminary match against Australia held at Tianmu Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan with a 5-2 victory on the 18th and said, “The overall game in this tournament was not bad. However, the goal of advancing to the finals was not achieved. “I’m sorry to the fans who came from as far away as Taiwan to support us,” he said.

Korea was confirmed to be eliminated from the preliminary round regardless of the result of the game on this day. This is because Japan and Taiwan defeated Cuba and Australia, respectively, the previous day, confirming first and second place in Group B and taking the cards to the finals.

This is a disappointing result for Korea, which prided itself on being an Asian powerhouse. Korea took the top spot at the Premier 12 invitational tournament in 2015, and finished runner-up in 2019. However, in this tournament, they fell to third place in Group B (3 wins, 2 losses) and were eliminated from the preliminary round for the first time.

It was the Premier 12 that revealed both the challenges and hopes of Korean baseball. Korea is undergoing a generational change targeting the World Baseball Classic (WBC) to be held in 2026, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, and the 2028 LA Olympics. To this end, since last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games, the national team has been formed with young players in their early to mid-20s. In this tournament, there were a series of injuries such as Moon Dong-ju, Noh Si-hwan, Won Tae-in, and Kim Young-woong, so some veterans in their mid-30s, such as catcher Park Dong-won, born in 1990, and pitcher Go Young-pyo, born in 1991, were selected, but the main team is made up of players born around 2000.

Ryu Joong-il, who went through the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) last year, showed considerable hope in this tournament. In the field team, Kim Do-young, Park Seong-han, and Choi Won-jun proved their international competitiveness. In addition, Hong Chang-ki showed his potential as the next-generation national team leadoff. There was also a good harvest from the mound. Kwak Bin stood out as a pillar of the starting lineup in this tournament, and young bullpen pitchers such as Park Young-hyun, Kwak Do-gyu, Choi Ji-min, Yoo Young-chan, and Kim Seo-hyun also stood out.

Korea’s final victory (Taipei = Yonhap News) Reporter Jongchan Han = The match between Korea and Australia in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 2024 Group B group stage held at Tianmu Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan on the afternoon of the 18th. South Korea players greet fans after winning 5-2 over Australia. 2024.11.18 saba@yna.co.kr (End) 〈Copyright (c) Yonhap News, unauthorized reproduction and redistribution, AI learning and use prohibited〉

However, I also felt clear limitations. The fact that Japan and Taiwan, which are composed of young players, are growing faster than Korea was reaffirmed through Premier 12. In Japan, where the so-called ‘speed revolution’ is taking place, pitchers with fast balls of around 150 km per hour overwhelmed opposing hitters with sophisticated ball control. In Taiwan, young players with advanced baseball experience in the minor league and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) showed off their considerable competitiveness.

Coach Ryu also mentioned this reality and suggested a direction for the development of Korean baseball. Coach Ryu said, “Taiwan has established a system of sending young players to the United States early. On the other hand, we are preventing promising companies from advancing overseas. “There is a difference in power at that point,” he analyzed.

(Taipei (Taiwan) = News 1) Reporter Jang Soo-young = Kim Do-young in the bottom of the 6th inning of the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 Group B preliminary game between Korea and Australia held at Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan on the afternoon of the 18th (local time) with 2 outs and 1 base on the Korean attack. Hitting a two-run home run. 2024.11.18/News 1

He continued, “In the long run, we need to hold more evaluation games. Whether we go or invite an opponent, we must convene the national team frequently to maintain our strength. Fortunately, I know that preparations are being made at the KBO level. “I will prepare well for the remaining 15 months until the next WBC,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile, Korea, which faced Australia despite being eliminated from the preliminary round on this day, made full use of its mound resources and won 5-2. In the bottom of the 6th inning with a 3-2 lead, Kim Do-young hit a 2-run home run to the left and scored the wicket. Kim Do-young recorded a batting average of 0.412, 3 home runs, and 10 RBIs in 5 games of this tournament, including 4 RBIs on this day, establishing himself as the core of the batting lineup. The team, which has completed its schedule in Taiwan, will return to Korea on the 19th and disband.