It has not been officially eliminated yet. But the shock is too great.

The Korean baseball team, led by head coach Lee Kang-cheol, suffered a shocking two-day losing streak. An unexpected 7-8 loss to Australia and a disastrous 4-13 defeat to Japan.

Above all, I cannot help but point out the problem of the pitching staff, who allowed 21 runs in only two games. The Korean mound, which started off badly by hitting 3 homers against Australia, put in 10 pitchers against Japan and put all its effort, but returned with a shocking defeat.

Conversely, when I saw Japanese pitchers, I couldn’t help but feel envy. Darvish Yu, who won 16 wins in the major leagues last year, struggled with 3 runs in 3 innings, including a 2-run homer with Yang Eui-ji in the top of the 3rd inning, but Shota Imana, who followed Darvish, blocked 3 innings with 1 run, and Japan won. has played an important role Imanaga, a left-handed pitcher, consistently threw the ball faster than 150 km, and Korean batters struggled. Park Gun-woo hit Imanaga’s 153km fastball and hit a superior solo home run, but that was all.

In addition to Darvish and Imana, there are many other pitchers in Japan who can consistently throw a ball faster than 150 km. There are even pitchers such as Rocky Sasaki and Shohei Otani who can throw more than 160 km.

On the other hand, it was difficult for Korean pitchers to even watch fastballs over 150km. He had to struggle against both Australia and Japan as he tried to compete with his 140km fastball, which can never be said to be fast. However, it was not so sophisticated that the control was perfect.

The important thing is ‘tomorrow’. It is not that there are no promising players in Korea who can throw more than 150 km. The key point is what kind of pitcher they will grow into.

In particular, it is necessary to pay attention to the ‘fastball duo’ of Hanwha. Moon Dong-ju, who made his debut in the KBO league last year, and Kim Seo-hyun, who entered the rookie draft this year with the first overall pick, are already predicting a blast this season with a fastball close to 160km.스포츠토토

Moon Dong-ju is evaluated as a player with a fastball as well as a mentality that is not suitable for a young age. Hanwha coach Carlos Subero said, “Moon Dong-ju is a candidate for this year’s starting rotation,” and “actually, his mentality and maturity ahead of his age are his biggest strengths and weapons.”

Moon Dong-ju, who threw a fastball of 156 km at the spring camp in Japan, said, “I came to Japan for the first time and threw up to 156 km. Now is the time to not worry about speed.” I think it will get better because there are things.” Now, he dreams of becoming a complete pitcher, not a pitcher who only throws fastballs day and night.

Unlike Moon Dong-ju, Kim Seo-hyun, who is expected to debut on the professional stage as a relief pitcher, has already thrown a fast ball of up to 155 km in a practice game, giving the green light to enter the opening entry. Kim Seo-hyun took the mound in the top of the ninth inning when the score was tied 3-3 in a practice game against Samsung on the 8th and blocked one inning with a tripartite throw. Seohyun Kim’s greatest weapon is her confidence. Kim Seo-hyun, who said, “I threw with the thought that now is the time while thinking that I could go out in the 9th inning someday” said that aggressive pitching with the mindset to fight the batter is considered an advantage.

Korean baseball drank a bitter cup through this year’s WBC, but we cannot just sit back and shed tears. We must dream of a brighter tomorrow through the growth of top-class prospects who will carry the future of Korean baseball. It can be said that it is the growth of players such as Moon Dong-ju and Kim Seo-hyun who have the potential to become great.