KBO has begun to appoint a head coach to lead the Korean national baseball team at the WBSC Premier 12 to be held in November.
KBO said on the 14th, “We will recommend candidates for the national baseball team coach at the Power Enhancement Committee next week,” adding, “The specific contract period and timing of the announcement of the appointment of the coach have not been decided.”
Last year, the Korean baseball confirmed both light and darkness. At the 2023 World Baseball Classic held in March, Korea failed to advance to the second round (eventually quarterfinals) due to its surprise rival Australia, with a score of 7-8. Korea bowed its head after suffering a humiliating 4-13 loss to its rival Japan.
However, the achievement was also clear. In October last year, he beat Taiwan to win a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, achieving four consecutive championships. The immediate task of generational change was a huge success.
The Asian Games national team, led by head coach Ryu Joong-il, set its own limit of setting up the final entry only for players under the age of 25 or under the fourth year of joining the professional league. With criticism that the Asian Games are used as a means of special military service for professional players and the need for generational change, it was forced to build the weakest ever Asian Games.
However, the future of Korean baseball was strong. Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha Eagles) emerged as the new ace of the national baseball team by pitching hard with seven strikeouts and six scoreless innings in the gold medal match against Taiwan.
No. 4 hitter Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha Eagles), Yoon Dong-hee (Lotte Giants), who had been hitting hard throughout the Asian Games, Choi Ji-min (KIA Tigers), Park Young-hyun (KT Wiz), and Ko Woo-seok (San Diego Padres), who showed the power of “K-Bulpen,” were able to give good scores not only in terms of results but also in terms of content.
2023 APBC, where most of the Asian Games members participated, also won a valuable runner-up. They fought equally with Japan, which was evaluated as overwhelming us in objective power. Although they were unfortunately kneeling after extra time in the final, baseball fans gave encouragement rather than rebuke.
The Korean national baseball team is preparing for a new leap forward in 2024, leaving behind 2023 when despair and hope coexisted. The 3rd WBSC Premier 12 to be held in November is the beginning.
The head coach who will lead the Taegeuk Warriors in the 2023 Premier 12 is undecided so far. Ryu Joong-il, who led the team to the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year and the runner-up APBC, is considered a likely candidate.꽁머니환전
The manager of the national baseball team, who will be appointed by the KBO Power Enhancement Committee, will gather players from March to draw a sketch for the Premier 12. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the U.S. Major League Baseball are sparring partners.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will play two consecutive games of the official opening of the 2024 regular season at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul from March 20 to 21. KBO formed the national all-star “Team Korea” in line with this, and held practice games against the San Diego Padres on March 17 and the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 18. It has been decided that “Team Korea” will be run by the national baseball team coach.
The Premier 12 tournament will feature 12 top WBSC countries. Korea, Japan, Mexico, the U.S., Taiwan, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Australia, and Puerto Rico have all been confirmed to participate in this year’s third event.
Korea, Japan, Mexico, the U.S., Taiwan, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico will play in the Premier 12 finals for three consecutive times, following their first competition in 2015 and the second competition in 2019. Australia won the opportunity to play for two consecutive times, and Panama for the first time.
The 2024 Premier 12 will divide 12 participating countries into two groups and play the group stage. Afterwards, the top two teams will play the super round in a round-robin format, and the top three to fourth teams will clash in the gold medal match, and the bronze medal match.
The group matches will be held in Taiwan and the U.S. In the case of the U.S., the host city and the participating country will be announced later. Taiwan is expected to play in Group B at the recently opened Taipei Dome Stadium.
However, the opening match of Group B of the 2024 Premier 12 will be held at Nagoya Dome in Japan. After the end of the group stage, the Super Round, Gold Medal Match, and Bronze Medal Match will be held at Tokyo Dome in Japan, just like the previous one or two.
Korea ranked first in the world at the 2015 First Premier 12. Led by coach Kim In-sik, the Korean national team impressed the public by writing a drama in which it secured a come-from-behind victory over Japan 4-3 in the semifinal.
Korea lost face by losing 0-5 to Japan in the opening match of the 2015 Premier 12, but made up for the pain by winning the semifinal. In the case of the semifinal match, Jung Geun-woo’s timely RBI, Kim Hyun-soo’s pushback walk, and Lee Dae-ho’s timely two RBIs to achieve the “Great Battle of Tokyo” that will remain in Korean baseball history. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Jung Dae-hyun and Lee Hyun-seung silenced Japan’s last resistance without losing a point and completed a reversal drama.
Korea defeated the U.S. 8-0 to win the trophy in the 2015 Premier 12 final. Starting pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun blocked the U.S. batters with five scoreless innings, and Lee Yong-kyu’s RBI double in the first inning and Park Byung-ho’s three-run homer in the fourth inning destroyed the U.S. team.
However, the 2nd Premier 12 held in 2019 failed to overcome Japan’s barrier. At the time when manager Kim Kyung-moon took the helm, the Korean national team swallowed its disappointment by losing to Japan in succession in the Super Round and Final.
At the 2019 Premier 12 final, Korea had a 3-0 lead thanks to Kim Ha-sung’s first two-run homer and Kim Hyun-soo’s solo homer in the first inning, but failed to keep the lead. Starting pitcher Yang Hyun-jong allowed four runs in three innings, and his batting lineup was tied with no run from the second to the ninth inning. He had to settle for the runner-up position as he lost 3-5.