“I felt joy watching the World Cup. I want to get out of Japan. I want to go further.”
Kangcheol Lee raised the anchor. KBO announced the final 30-man entry for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) national baseball team at the Baseball Hall in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 4th.
The WBC final roster of 30 consisted of 15 pitchers, two catchers, eight infielders and five outfielders. Three active major leaguers, Ha-seong Kim (San Diego), Ji-man Choi (Pittsburgh), and Tommy Edman (St. Louis) were selected together and drew the most attention.
Former major leaguers Kim Gwang-hyeon (SSG), Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA), Park Byeong-ho (KT), and Kim Hyun-soo (LG) were also named. However, Ahn Woo-jin (Kiwoom), who was caught up in the issue of school violence, was excluded.
Regarding the background of the selection of the national team, Beom-hyeon Cho, chairman of the KBO Technical Committee, said, “For a long time, technical committee members, power analysis team, and coaching staff discussed and made efforts to form an entry that can encompass international competitiveness and generational change. I was able to confirm the commitment of players playing in overseas leagues, such as Choi Ji-man, to the WBC.”안전놀이터
“I think all players playing in the KBO league will have the same mindset. I will be with you until the end so that coach Lee Kang-cheol, coaching staff, and players can do their best,” he said. The national team, as well as the technical committee, players, and coaching staff, all have a sense of crisis.
Director Lee Kang-cheol said, “Everyone says it’s a crisis, but I think it’s an opportunity. I’m personally honored to have been given an important position. I won’t fall any further than this. I’m trying to do it with positive thoughts. I will prepare well. I will produce results that the people can understand.”
The national team set a goal of reaching the semifinals or higher. Director Lee said, “It didn’t work out well when I said my goal (laughs). I felt joy while watching the World Cup. People watching in the living room will think that way. Rather than placing in number one, I want to get out of Japan. I want to go farther once.” declared
Korea was placed in Group B with Japan, China, Australia, and the Czech Republic in the first round of the WBC finals. They must secure at least second place in their group to advance to the quarterfinals. Both the first round and quarterfinals of the tournament will be held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, and the semifinals and finals will be held at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida, USA. The command tower showed a strong will while looking at the quarterfinals and above.