“I feel sorry for the baseball fans.”
The Korean baseball team, led by coach Ryu Joong-il, won 5-2 in the 5th game of the Group B preliminary round against Australia at the 2024 WBSC Premier12 held at Tien Mu Baseball Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan on the 18th. They finished the preliminary schedule in 3rd place in their group with 3 wins and 2 losses.
Korea had to accept the result of being eliminated from the preliminary round of this tournament. Korea won the inaugural competition in 2015 and was runner-up in the second competition in 2019, but not this time. They lost in the first game against Taiwan and the third game against Japan. They won the second game against Cuba and the fourth game against the Dominican Republic, but were unable to overcome Japan and Taiwan.
news/cms/202411/18/news-p.v1.20241118.86711ed1d9d14803b122ade6bbc3ae7d_R.jpg" data-width="600" data-height="960" /> Enlarged photo = Provided by Yonhap News ![“I’m sorry to baseball fans” Korea, the first champion, was shockingly eliminated from the preliminary round… Ryu Joong-il regrets, where did you find the reason for his elimination? [MK타이베이]](https://pimg.mk.co.kr/news/cms/202411/18/news-p.v1.20241118.560312b3a5e34ea899ea18372edd5fbe_P1.jpg "“I’m sorry to baseball fans” Korea, the first champion, was shockingly eliminated from the preliminary round… Ryu Joong-il regrets, where did you find the reason for his elimination? [MK타이베이]")
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Starter Go Young-pyo pitched 3.2 innings, allowing 1 hit, 2 strikeouts, and no runs. Yoo Young-chan (0.1 innings, 1 run) – Choi Seung-yong (0.2 innings, no runs) – Lee Young-ha (0.2 innings, 1 run) – Kim Taek-yeon (0.2 innings, no runs) – So Hyeong-jun (1 inning, no runs) – Kim Seo-hyun (1 inning, no runs) – Park Young-hyun (1 inning) (no runs allowed inning) preserved the victory.
In the batting lineup, Kim Do-young’s performance stood out. Kim Do-young, who was replaced mid-game in Game 4 against the Dominican Republic due to hip discomfort, performed a one-man show today with 1 home run, 3 hits, and 4 RBIs. Dong-hee Yoon and Bo-kyung Moon also had multiple hits, and Hong Chang-ki also added strength with 2 hits and 2 runs. On this day, he had 10 hits against the Australian mound. Australia showed disappointment in its attention to detail, making three errors.
After the game, coach Ryu Joong-il said, “It was our last game, and I’m thankful we won despite the bad weather. I failed in the semifinals. I feel sorry for baseball fans. “I am so grateful to the fans who came from afar to support me,” he said sincerely.
The Korean starting lineup had a hard time in this tournament. Game 1 starter Ko Young-pyo pitched only 2 innings, Game 2 starter Kwak Bin pitched 4 innings, Game 3 starter Choi Seung-yong pitched 1.2 innings, and Game 4 starter Lim Chan-gyu pitched only 3 innings. Including today’s game, the number of innings played by the Korean starting pitching staff is only 14.1 innings.
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The absence of Won Tae-in, Moon Dong-ju, and Son Ju-young, who were excluded due to injury, and Park Se-woong, who was absent due to basic military training, was greatly felt.
Coach Ryu said, “As I have said many times, this is a competition in which we lost the selection battle. There are about 15 months left until the big competition. We need to discuss it well and address various problems one by one, including the starting pitcher. “I will do my best to study well so that I can advance to the finals of the 2026 WBC,” he said.
The national team will enter the country through Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 19th.
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[타이베이(대만)=이정원 MK스포츠 기자]
How did the absence of key players like Son Ju-young influence the Korean team’s performance during the tournament, according to Kim Do-young?
1st Guest: Kim Do-young, Korean outfielder and first baseman for the Nippon Ham Fighters in the Japanese Baseball Organization
2nd Guest: Ryu Joong-il, coach of the Korean baseball team
Eva: As someone who played a key role in Korea’s victory over Australia today, how do you feel about the team’s performance in this year’s 5th game of the Group B preliminary round? Could you share any challenges the team faced during the tournament?
Kim Do-young: I feel good that we could end the tournament with a win, especially after losing our first two games. Playing without fans in the stands was definitely challenging for us. We couldn’t rely on their energy or support, which made it tougher to maintain our focus and momentum at times. Additionally, we faced some strong pitching during the tournament and had to deal with injuries to key players like Won Tae-in, Moon Dong-ju, and Son Ju-young. However, we worked hard and pulled together as a team, and today’s win is proof of that.
Eva: Coach Ryu mentioned the importance of the starting pitchers during this tournament. As a batter, do you think the absence of son Ju-young, who was a strong reliever, affected the dynamic of the team or had any significant impact on the game?
Kim Do-young: Losing Son Ju-young was definitely a big blow to our team. He was a crucial part of our bullpen and his absence meant that we had to adjust our strategies and rely more on our starters. However, I think we managed to adapt and use our bench strength effectively. we just have to look forward and learn from this experience, as we only have about 15 months left until the next big competition.
Eva: After finishing third in Group B, do you think it’s fair to say that Korea underperformed this year? How can the team improve and prepare for future competitions?
Ryu Joong-il: I wouldn’t say we underperformed. We faced some tough competition this year, especially against Japan and Taiwan. However, we learned a lot from this experience and will strive to improve our selection process for future tournament
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