The South Korean baseball team is a five-time Asian Games gold medalist. Ryu Joong-il, who is competing in Hangzhou, leaves for Hangzhou, China, on Aug. 28.
His shoulders are heavy. The pressure is on to win a gold medal. Baseball was introduced to the Asian Games as a demonstration sport in 1990 and as an official sport in 1994 in Hiroshima. South Korea has fielded a team of professional players since the 1998 Bangkok Games.
After winning a silver medal in Hiroshima in 1994, losing to Japan in the final, South Korea won back-to-back gold medals in Bangkok in 1998 and Busan in 2002. At the 2006 Doha Games, they narrowly missed out on a bronze medal after suffering shock losses to Chinese Taipei and Japan. Given the power of Taiwan and Japan at the time, it was a shocking result that was referred to as the "Doha Disaster.
Since then, Korea has regrouped and won three consecutive gold medals in Guangzhou, Incheon, and Jakarta-Palembang. South Korea has now won five of the last seven editions of the sport.
The stakes are high. The national baseball team hasn't performed well in international competitions in recent years. The team finished with a 'gold medal' at the Tokyo Olympics, having lost its Beijing glory. The WBC quarterfinal and runner-up myths have been forgotten, and the team has suffered three consecutive first-round exits, most notably at the WBC in March of this year, where they had to stare bitterly at Japan's complete victory, and Korean baseball suffered a harsh aftermath.
On the other hand, there are those who say it's definitely time for a generational change. As members of the "golden generation," such as Kim Kwang-hyun, Yang Hyun-jong, and Kim Hyun-soo, retire from the national team, it's time to find new faces and increase international competitiveness. A decent showing at the Hangzhou Asian Games could be the start of a generational change.
I'm struggling. Actually, if I had to give you a tip, it would be Kwak Bin or Moon Dong-ju. I'm thinking about the pitching trajectory of the ball and the swing trajectory of the Taiwanese hitters. It's one or the other.
-Jang Hyun-seok reached 154 mph in a practice game.
He's still a young player. He's a great player. I personally hope that such players will grow up and become undisputed 'aces' representing our country.
-How do you see the condition of the batters?
Our national team pitchers are the best pitchers in Korea right now. It's hard to hit. We will have two days of practice in Hangzhou to improve our form and hopefully score a lot of runs.
-You've won gold medals at the Asian Games repeatedly, so there must be a lot of pressure on you. 카지노사이트
It is. This tournament marks a generational change in the Korean national team. If we win a gold medal in this tournament, I think it will be a great opportunity for the development of Korean baseball. I hope these players will grow up to be able to reach the WBC quarterfinals in 2026 and beyond. ==
-With all eyes on Taiwan, how strong is Japan?
I went to Japan for 10 days and saw the players in person. The system is well organized and Japan is basically a strong defense. They have two very good pitchers, one right-handed and one left-handed. We have to prepare for them, but for now, we will focus on the qualifier against Chinese Taipei.
-I heard that the baseball field in Hangzhou is artificial turf.
I heard that it's artificial turf, but it's longer than the Gocheok Dome (grass). We'll check it out during the two days of practice.