A bitter defeat, but a sobering reality.
Taiwan was a “high mountain” for Liu Zhong-il-ho, who promised to “change generations”. We were determined to win, but we didn’t have enough energy to catch up after conceding an early lead without properly executing the strategy we had prepared.
It was unfortunate that we were unable to overcome the ‘first game jitters’ that have been repeated in every international tournament.
The batters, who were focused on managing their conditioning, were unable to take advantage of Taiwanese starter Lin Yi-min (Arizona Diamondbacks). The Mexican umpire’s strike zone was tightly enforced in the game against Taiwan, which did not utilize the ABS (Automatic Pitch Recognition System). During training, most hitters cited “attacking the pitcher with early timing” as a solution, but the team failed to execute.
Poor starting pitching continued.
Injuries to Moon Dong-joo (Hanwha) and Won Tae-in (Samsung) reduced starting options. Ryu Joong-ilho started “Submarine” Ko Young-pyo (KT) against Taiwan. Lim Chan-kyu (LG) Kwak Bin Kwak Seung-yong (Doosan) were available, but they were saved for the final Group B game against Australia, which could have been a fight for second place. However, it was not enough to overcome Taiwan’s left-handed lineup, which correctly recognized Ko’s weakness against lefties. The disappointment was compounded by the fact that Liu’s “swarming baseball,” which he had employed to deal with the lack of starting talent, paid off with a no-hitter.
Taiwan was no longer the ‘underdog’ of Korean baseball.
They prepared thoroughly, converted their one chance into a victory, and battled like cogs in a wheel with different types of pitchers. “I’m grateful that each player believed in themselves and worked hard to produce a good result. We believed in ourselves and did it,” said the Chinese Taipei coach.
After a heartbreaking defeat, Korean baseball faces another ‘giant mountain’.
Ryu Jung-ilho will face Japan in the third game of Group B on Friday (KST) at the Taipei Dome in Taiwan.
South Korea’s baseball team has lost eight straight games against Japan’s professional team. The last win came in the semifinals of the 2015 WBSC Premier12. At the 2017 APBC, they won the first game of the preliminary round 7-8, but lost 0-7 in the final. In the 2019 Premier12, they lost 8-10 in the final game of the Super Round before falling 3-5 in the final. 카지노사이트 They lost 2-5 in the semifinals of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and lost 4-13 in the first round of the WBC last year. At the APBC, they lost by one run in the second round of qualifying (1 to 2) and the final (3 to 4). Korean baseball once shouted, “There is no Japan,” but now the gap has widened.
In this tournament, Japan was also ‘one step above’ Ryu Jung-ilho.
Japan has lost Kazuma Okamoto (Yomiuri), who was considered the mainstay of the team, as well as the two-hitter core familiar to Korean fans, including Munetaka Murakami (Yakult), Roki Sasaki (Chiba Lotte), Gensuke Kondo, and Hotaka Yamakawa (Softbank). Despite this, the team was built around young players who had made their mark in the NPB and were touted as early favorites. In the first game of Group B against Australia, they scored nine runs on 13 hits to extend Japan’s international winning streak to 20 games.
In their eight straight losses to Japan,
South Korea were clearly outclassed in both the batting and the field. They were unable to find the ball easily from Japanese pitchers, who easily sprinkle the ball in the mid-150-kilometer range, and the pitchers were unable to easily avoid the bats of Japanese batters. Fatigue was also a factor in this game, with the team having played Taiwan, Cuba, and Japan in quick succession. A win would be the best possible outcome, but it is by no means guaranteed.
However, it’s not just the clouds hanging over Ryu Joong-il that are a problem.
The pressure will be on Japan, who have won eight straight against South Korea. The pressure is on Japan, which has won eight straight games against South Korea. Korea, on the other hand, is the underdog and can focus on playing a game with no regrets. While Ryu Jung-ilho said that the goal of the tournament is to “secure a ticket to Tokyo,” where the final round will be played, it is worth remembering that the ultimate goal is to change the generation and accumulate experience for the 2026 WBC and 2028 LA Olympics.
In the end, what we should be looking at in Japan is not the anxiety of the outcome, but finding the answers to fulfill the goal of generational change. That’s why we need to bring out all the tricks we have up our sleeves, play without regrets, and play for what we have to gain.