The Korean baseball team, which will participate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), had a lot of trouble exposing defensive anxiety in the first official evaluation match after entering Japan.
The Korean national baseball team lost 2-4 in a practice game against the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese professional baseball team held at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan on the 6th.
In particular, he made as many as three mistakes in defense, leaving him with regret, but the shortstop position revealed his loopholes.
On this day, coach Lee Kang-cheol appointed Kim Ha-seong (San Diego) as the third baseman and Oh Ji-hwan (LG) as the shortstop without Choi Jeong (SSG), who was not in normal condition. Another major leaguer, Tommy Hyeonsu Edman (St. Louis), started out as a second baseman, his original position.
However, Oh Ji-hwan, who started as the starting shortstop, made a series of mistakes in defense. Oh Ji-hwan, who won the KBO League shortstop Golden Glove last season, lacked solidity in the evaluation game that day.
In the bottom of the 2nd inning with 1 out and 2nd base, starting pitcher So-Jun Sohn induced a ground ball toward 2nd base, but Oh Ji-hwan fumbled the ball.
In the ongoing crisis of 1st, 1st and 3rd base, So-Jun Sohn induced a ground ball once again, but this time Oh Ji-Hwan tried to play a double play, but failed to properly remove the batted ball from the glove and saved all runners. 메이저놀이터
Afterwards, Oh Ji-hwan was eliminated from the game at the beginning of the bottom of the 6th inning. Choi Jung moved to third base, and Kim Ha-seong returned to his original position, shortstop. However, Kim Ha-seong, who moved to shortstop, also made a mistake in the 6th inning, leaving regret.
The baseball team’s infield in this WBC is evaluated as the strongest ever. In particular, there is high anticipation for the Keystone combination between active major leaguers Kim Ha-seong and Edmund.
However, ahead of the game, Choi Jeong-i, who was designated as the starting third baseman, was not in good condition, and a concern arose. In response, coach Lee Kang-cheol brought out a plan B card to appoint Oh Ji-hwan as a shortstop, but exposed his weakness in the evaluation match.
As stability in the infield is essential in a short game, the national team’s defensive power in the match that day was enough to arouse concerns.
The fortunate thing is that Choi Jeong’s condition is improving little by little. Choi Jeong-eun, who was put in defense from the bottom of the 6th inning, went 0-hit in 2 at-bats, but showed a solid defense and showed a gradual improvement by recording a foul home run at bat.
In the end, the infield best is Ha-seong Kim and Edmon playing shortstop and second base, respectively, and Choi Jeong being appointed as the third baseman. In order for the national team’s infield to find stability, it seems Choi Jeong-i needs to improve his condition.
The national team will have their last practice game against the Hanshin Tigers at noon on the 7th, and Choi Jeong-eun was appointed as the starting third baseman. Attention is focusing on whether the infield of the national team will be able to find stability.