“We will definitely win the gold medal.”

That’s what Ryu Joong-il, head coach of the South Korean baseball team at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, said before the team’s final training session at the Gocheok Sky Dome on Sunday. Despite the age restriction, Ryu is confident of leading the KBO League players to the Asian Games. He also has a plan in place to recruit players through trials with the CEO.

Ryu will depart for Hangzhou, the venue of the final, on Aug. 28 through Incheon International Airport. After two days of local acclimatization training, the team will play its first match of the qualifiers against Hong Kong on January 1. On the second day, they will face Chinese Taipei, and on the third day, they will play the first-place team from the preliminary round. South Korea’s goal of topping Group B is to take down Chinese Taipei.

Korea sent a power analyst to Taiwan early to gather information. Taiwan has a number of minor leaguers who play in the United States. Taiwan is considered to be a step below Korea’s level, but it’s also a team that can’t be taken lightly. In the previous Asian Games, Korea was upset by Chinese Taipei, so coach Ryu Jung-il and his players are focused on the game.

“We had a meeting with the power analysis team. We found out that a lot of Taiwanese prospects are playing in the United States. The ball was fast and the changeup angle was sharp. We need our batters to focus well and score runs,” he emphasized.

It’s not easy to score a lot of runs in international tournaments. It’s more likely to be a pitching battle than a batting battle. “In the Asian Games, games are decided by two or three runs. Our pitchers are very good. If the starters hold up well, the middle relievers have the power to stop them,” he said, adding that he had high hopes for the pitchers’ performance.

The starting pitchers have a lot on their shoulders. Kwak Bin (24-Dusan Bears) and Moon Dong-ju (20-Hanwha Eagles) are the two starting pitchers Korea is most wary of. Coach Ryu Jung-il said, “We are thinking about the starting pitcher against Taiwan. I’m trying to choose between Kwak Bin or Moon Dong-ju,” said Liu.

“We are comparing their pitching trajectories with the swing trajectories of Taiwanese hitters. We’re talking to the coaching staff about which pitcher might not be a good fit on the mound. We plan to have one of them start against Chinese Taipei.”메이저놀이터

South Korea will go all out against Chinese Taipei in their quest for gold. They will have to advance past the preliminary round to face their ‘nemesis’ Japan. “Our staff went to Japan for 10 days,” said Ryu Jung-il. They are well organized, especially their defense. Their pitchers are good, both right-handed and left-handed.” While evaluating Japan, he said, “We will do our best against Taiwan, which is a qualifier.”

Moon Dong-ju, who is also a candidate for the starting pitcher against Chinese Taipei, said, “We haven’t decided which pitcher will start the game yet, but I will do my best according to the given situation. Coach Ryu Jung-il trusts me, so I’ll give it my all,” he said.

Meanwhile, Korean baseball has been a powerhouse at the Asian Games. From Guangzhou, China, in 2010, to Incheon, South Korea, in 2014, to Palembang, Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2018, the team has won gold. It will be interesting to see if South Korea can make it four in a row.