Would it have been different if a left-handed pitcher specializing in the bullpen had been selected?
Kim Gwang-hyun 11 batters, 2 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, 2 innings, 4 runs, Hyeon
-jong Yang, 3 batters, 3 hits,
1 home run,
0 innings,
3 runs. Walks ⅓ innings scoreless
This is the record of the left-handed pitchers of the Korean WBC national team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) matches against Australia and Japan.
Kim Gwang-hyun started as a starting pitcher in the rivalry against Japan. Yang Hyeon-jong appeared in the bullpen against Australia, and young lefties Koo Chang-mo, Lee Eui-ri, and Kim Yun-shik pitched as bullpen pitchers against Japan.
As you can see from the record, all left-handed pitchers, including Kim Gwang-hyun, who started the game against Japan, have not performed well. As a starter, Kim Gwang-hyun did his part to some extent. He was perfect pitching, striking out 5 in the 1st and 2nd innings against the Japanese hard-hitting line. Kim Gwang-hyun, who pitched all-out from the beginning, was regretful that he gave up consecutive walks against 8-9 players in the bottom batting order at the end of the 3rd inning with a 3-0 lead.
And the judgment of the bench was even more disappointing. He was not in a hurry to replace Kim Gwang-hyun, who was weak. Kim Gwang-hyun, whose ball pitch fell, was replaced only after hitting 1 RBI in a timely manner with No. 1 Nutba and 1 RBI with Kondo.
Rather than Kim Gwang-hyun’s fault, the replacement timing was delayed. After the game, Lee Kang-cheol, coach of the national team, blamed himself, saying, “The third inning was lost. The pitcher replacement was delayed, so it is my fault for mismanaging the pitcher.”
Yang Hyeon-jong took the mound after one out in the 8th inning against Australia on the 9th, falling behind 4-5, and hit a hit, a hit, and a home run, and the score widened to 4-8. Considering that Korea chased 7-8 at the end of the 8th inning, it was regrettable that veteran Yang Hyeon-jong allowed a three-run home run.
The young left-handed starting pitchers were unable to properly throw strikes against Japan on the 10th. Kim Yun-shik, who took the mound from third base in the 6th inning, allowed a walk-four-push-push walk and was replaced. All the runners sent out were linked with conceded runs.
Koo Chang-mo, who took the mound in the 7th inning, trailing 4-11, also failed to throw his own pitch. He got 2 hits and was replaced at 1st and 3rd base with 1 out. Eui-ri Lee’s follow-up was even more messy. A wild pitch (run)-walk-walk-strike-push A walk was allowed. He almost hit 4 pitches against Shohei Ohtani, drawing intense booing from Japanese fans at the Tokyo Dome.
In addition, the score went up to 4-13, and it was on the verge of losing a cold game. At least, Park Se-woong came up and overcame the crisis with a floating ball, and it was fortunate that he prevented the last game from being called without a run in the bottom of the 8th inning. 바카라사이트
When coach Lee Kang-cheol played an official evaluation game against Japanese professional baseball teams at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan, “The starting pitchers have to wait in the bullpen now to see how pitchers adapt to the dome. Since it goes in without a long toss, it takes two days to prepare for it. You have to check if you can warm up right away and if you can warm up quickly.”
Starting pitchers who play long toss before the game and warm up according to their routines have to warm up unlike the routine when they go into the bullpen waiting. Coincidentally, all left-handed pitchers on the national team are starting pitchers. Kim Yun-sik has bullpen experience, but it was his first international tournament at a young age.
Among the 15 pitchers in the national team, there are five professional bullpen agents: Ko Woo-seok, Lee Yong-chan, Kim Won-joong, Jung Woo-young, and Jeong Cheol-won. They are all right-handed pitchers. The left-handed pitchers of the national team are Kim Gwang-hyeon, Yang Hyeon-jong, Koo Chang-mo, Lee Eui-ri, and Kim Yun-shik, all of whom are starting pitchers. These players did well last season, but they have very little bullpen experience.
No professional left-handed bullpen was selected. There was a plan to appoint experienced Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong as important game bullpens. However, as Koo Chang-mo and Lee Eui-ri did not improve their pitches, Kim Gwang-hyeon was forced to start the game against Japan.
Of course, the young left-handed pitchers’ failure seemed to be more a lack of control and lack of confidence than throwing from an unfamiliar bullpen. However, I wonder if it would have been a little different if it had been a professional left-handed bullpen, such as Kim Bum-soo (Hanwha) with a 150 km fast ball and Kim Jae-woong (Kiwoom) with a good changeup.