“144G is too much” There aren’t enough players already… Another Korean baseball disaster repeated, is this a coincidence?

[OSEN=타이베이(대만), 이대선 기자] The Premier 12 Korean baseball team is performing a national ritual. 2024.11.10 /[email protected]

[OSEN=타이베이(대만), 이대선 기자] The Korean baseball team was once again unable to overcome Japan’s barrier. The Korean national baseball team, led by coach Ryu Joong-il, lost 3-6 in the third game against Japan in the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 Group B group stage held at the Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan on the 15th. After the game, the national baseball team bowed to the audience and left the ground. I’m going out. 2024.11.15 /[email protected]

[OSEN=이상학 기자] The disaster at the Korean baseball international tournament was repeated again. It is pointed out that this is an aftereffect of the 144-game system, which raised complaints on the field throughout the season. It is difficult to see it as a coincidence that disasters at international competitions have continued since the 144-game system took root.

The Korean national baseball team, led by coach Ryu Joong-il, suffered the bitter taste of being eliminated in the group stage at the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12. Korea, which was the inaugural winning team of Premier12 in 2015, finished runner-up in 2019, but this time, it ranked 3rd in its group with 3 wins and 2 losses. Unable to overcome the Japanese wall, they were caught again in Taiwan. Based on the participation of professional players, they have recently lost 9 games in a row to Japan, and are also inferior to Taiwan with 2 wins and 4 losses in the last 6 games.

Following a no-medal win at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and an elimination in the first round of last year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), he suffered three consecutive disasters in major international competitions with no age restrictions, including the Premier 12. In this year’s Premier 12, which continued the trend of generational change centered on young players in their 20s, Korea’s young players such as reliever Park Young-hyun (KT) and Kim Seo-hyun (Hanwha), and infielders Kim Do-young (KIA) and Park Seong-han (SSG) showed growth and achieved the desired results. issued. However, as long as it fails to produce results in international competitions, it is bound to be evaluated as a failure.

One of the reasons for failure is injury. Won Tae-in (Samsung), Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha), and Lee Ui-ri (KIA), who played key roles in last year’s Asian Games and APBC, and Son Ju-young (LG), who stood out as a starter this year, all left due to injury. Because of this, he did not become a starting baseball player. In all 5 games of this tournament, the starters were eliminated before the 5th inning, and they were pushed back from the beginning. On the fielder side, it was disappointing that expected hitters such as Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha), who was the No. 4 hitter in the Asian Games and APBC, as well as Koo Ja-wook and Kim Young-woong (Samsung), were unable to join due to injury.

From the perspective of coach Ryu Joong-il and the national team coaching staff, there is bound to be a great disappointment in not being able to form the best team with young players. Japan wasn’t the best either, but for Korea, which had a weak player base, the absence of key players due to injuries was even more critical.

So why did so many players get injured? Many people point to the 144-game system. The KBO League, which has 10 teams since 2015, began a 144-game system. The expansion of the league expanded the number of jobs for players, the size of the market grew, and the era of 10 million spectators was opened, but a decline in performance was inevitable. Japan, which has a much wider baseball base than Korea, is also playing a 143-game system with 12 teams.

[OSEN=타이베이(대만), 이대선 기자] Ryu Joong-il, who prided himself on having a better atmosphere than any other national team, suffered a shock loss in the first match of the Premier 12 Group B group stage. The Korean national baseball team, led by coach Ryu Joong-il, lost 3-6 in the first game against Taiwan in the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 Group B group stage held at the Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan on the 13th. The national team, including Korea’s Ko Young-pyo, is regretting the loss. 2024.11.13 /[email protected]

[OSEN=타이베이(대만), 이대선 기자] Ryu Joong-il, who prided himself on having a better atmosphere than any other national team, suffered a shock loss in the first match of the Premier 12 Group B group stage. The Korean national baseball team, led by coach Ryu Joong-il, lost 3-6 in the first game against Taiwan in the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 Group B group stage held at the Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan on the 13th. After losing, Korea is greeting the crowd. 2024.11.13 /[email protected]

Each team has a limited player pool, but the number of games is large, so the dependence on players who are good on the field increases. In particular, the damage to pitchers is large. Overuse inevitably leads to injury. The postseason, which includes 144 regular season games and a wild card, has also been expanded, increasing player fatigue throughout the year. In addition, these days, international competitions are held almost every year before and after the season, so the rest and recovery time for national team players is extremely short.

There is a lot of clamor on the field that 144 games are a lot. Coach Han said, “Under our country’s circumstances, 144 games are too many. Summer is getting longer and longer, and players are having a hard time. “If we don’t reduce the number of games, it will be difficult to manage injuries or condition,” he said. It may not be a coincidence that the team has not achieved any notable results in international competitions since winning the Premier 12 in 2015, the first year of the 10-team system. Slow generational change is the biggest reason, but it is also reasonable to point out that the 144-game system is the fundamental cause of the decline in standards. As low birth rates and population decline accelerate, protecting athletes becomes more important, but the environment is such that this is not possible.

Already 10 years have passed with the 144-game system. This is an age-old issue that is raised every year in the field but is not resolved. From the KBO’s perspective, it cannot easily give up the TV broadcasting rights and title sponsor fees that have been raised through the 144-game system. Each club’s admission and advertising revenue is proportional to the number of games, and in terms of records, there is a lot to see in the 144-game system. Although it is impossible to break the 144-game system for box office success, it is no longer possible to ignore the increasingly declining international competitiveness. If so, we must seriously consider early introduction of the Asian quota and expansion of foreign players in order to protect and manage players and improve the quality of the league. If this continues, the international convention disaster will become an annual event that repeats itself every year.

[OSEN=타이베이(대만), 이대선 기자] Elimination from the group stage was confirmed early on, but thanks to Kim Do-young, the team was able to brighten its future. Ryu Joong-il, who appeared in the final game of the Premier 12, achieved a triumph of sorts with three hits, including Kim Do-young’s home run. The Korean national baseball team, led by coach Ryu Joong-il, won 5-2 in the final match against Australia in the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 Group B group stage held at Tienmu Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan on the 18th. After the game, Korean players are sharing the joy of victory. 2024.11.17 /[email protected]

[OSEN=타이베이(대만), 이대선 기자] Elimination from the group stage was confirmed early on, but thanks to Kim Do-young, the team was able to brighten its future. Ryu Joong-il, who appeared in the final game of the Premier 12, achieved a triumph of sorts with three hits, including Kim Do-young’s home run. The Korean national baseball team, led by coach Ryu Joong-il, won 5-2 in the final match against Australia in the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 Group B group stage held at Tienmu Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan on the 18th. After the game ended, Korea coach Ryu Joong-il greeted the spectators. 2024.11.17 /[email protected]

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What are ‍your thoughts on the⁣ current state of⁢ the 144-game system in Korean baseball?‍ How do you ‍think‍ it affects the ‌overall quality of ⁤the game and the players’ well-being? Is it necessary‍ to reduce the number of games to improve the team’s⁣ performance and protect players from injuries?