WBC national team enters practice mode, wins NC practice match 8-2
The bat started warming up early. The key is also the mound management.
The baseball team preparing for the 5th World Baseball Classic (WBC) went straight into actual play mode. On the 17th, the national team played a practice match against NC at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA. The national team, which started convocation training on the 16th, had a real match on the second day and entered a rehearsal for the tournament with less than 20 days left.
National team coach Lee Kang-cheol, who said he would focus on checking the condition of each pitcher during the off-season training, focused on checking the pitching and control of the pitchers that day. Seven pitchers pitched one inning each. However, in order to check as much as possible, he adjusted the number of pitches to around 20, and even after catching three outcounts, he threw additionally and dealt with 5 to 6 batters each.
Kim Gwang-hyeon (SSG) was the first to throw, and Ko Young-pyo (KT), Jeong Cheol-won (Doosan), Won Tae-in (Samsung), Jung Woo-young (LG), Lee Eui-ri (KIA), and Ko Woo-seok (LG) climbed the mound to check the pitches. Ko Young-pyo finished 5 batters with 16 pitches, giving up 1 hit, 2 strikeouts and no runs in 1 inning, showing the best pitch. Finisher Ko Woo-seok also threw a fastball at 152km/h and recorded one scoreless inning.
The only run scored came in the 5th inning when Jung Woo-young took the mound. Jung Woo-young sent a runner out after one out due to an error in shortstop throwing, and then was hit by a left-handed double by Seo Ho-cheol and conceded a run. Afterwards, with a hit and a ball that hit the body, he was driven to a crisis with one company loaded, and after losing an extra run with a grounder, he caught the third outcount with a shortstop grounder.
The WBC has very strict pitcher replacement regulations. Originally, there was a limit on the number of pitches, and from this tournament, the major league rule that a pitcher who took the mound at the start of an inning can only be replaced when he faces at least three batters is applied as it is. The game becomes difficult not only when the pitcher is out of control, but also when fielders make mistakes.
Manager Lee Kang-cheol said, “In the first game today, we confirmed the pitching and control of the pitchers. The pitch was fine to some extent. Jung Woo-young was also fine in the bullpen, but if that happens due to a fielder’s mistake, he can’t be replaced and if the number of pitches increases, he won’t be able to use it in the next game. That scene came out today,” he said. “So, when the defenders clean up, they have to do well. I have to write a good selection, and I have a lot of thoughts while watching pitching today.” The national team plans to focus on checking the condition of the pitchers while preparing for situations that may arise in actual matches in the next four more practice games.
Coach Lee Kang-cheol said after the first call-up training on the 16th, “The pitchers will take a little time, and the batters have built their bodies very well.” As expected, 먹튀검증 the senses of the batters exploded from the first game. He had 14 hits, including two home runs.
Kang Baek-ho (KT) hit a two-run home run with one out and first base at the end of the second inning, and Choi Jeong (SSG), who started off as the lead hitter, added a solo home run to the left in the bottom of the third inning, and the national team won 8-2 after a comfortable lead. In the last at-bat at the end of the 7th inning, Kang Baek-ho hit a timely hit in the middle of the right and even scored an extra point to start with the hottest look.
Lee Jung-hoo (Kiwoom, center fielder) – Oh Ji-hwan (LG, shortstop) – Choi Jeong (3rd baseman) – Park Byung-ho (KT, designated hitter) – Kim Hyeon-soo (LG, left fielder) – Na Seong-beom (KIA, right fielder) – Kang Baek-ho (1st baseman) – Lee Ji-young (Kiwoom, Catcher) – Kim Hye-seong (Kiwoom, 2nd baseman) started, and among them, all but Lee Jung-hoo (2 at-bats, no hits) got hits. Park Hae-min (LG), who was replaced from the 4th inning, also played an active part with 2 hits.
The national team takes a day off on the 18th, and from the 19th they continue training with a three-day training and one-day rest pattern.