Ryu Joong Il-ho with hope and assignment, next is Korea-Japan match

The national baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Joong-il, will play against Japan, the second game of the APBC qualifying round, at 7 p.m. on the 17th at Tokyo Dome.

Coach Ryu mentioned the purpose of this tournament as a generational change even before the tournament. However, it is best to catch both rabbits as a result of the process and result.

South Korea, which beat Australia 3-2 the previous day (16th) after 10 extra innings, is determined to get one more win and one closer to the final.

South Korea confirmed its hope and task at the same time through the match against Australia. First of all, the mound power was stronger than expected.

In March, Korea lost 7-8 after giving up eight runs even after sending out top Korean pitchers such as Ko Young-pyo, Cho Young-joon and Yang Hyun-jong at the World Baseball Classic (WBC), but only allowed two runs this time.

Moon Dong-ju, who became the national ace through the Hangzhou Asian Games, played a sufficient part with two runs in five ⅔ innings, and the pitching team led by Kim Young-kyu, Shin Min-hyuk, Choi Ji-min, Choi Seung-yong and Jung Hae-young held out without allowing any runs.

Most of the ball had strength, perhaps because he got enough rest after the regular season. His control seemed to be slightly shaken at the beginning due to his lack of sense of play in the game, but he gradually took zero points.

Left-hander Lee Eui-ri is expected to be selected for the match against Japan. If the objection is shaken at the beginning, there is a possibility that the bullpen will be operated early.

Japan has many excellent batters, including infielder Teruaki Sato of the Hanshin Tigers, who won this season, and outfielder Shota Morishita. There is also Maki Shugo, the 2023 WBC winning member.

It must not be an easy opponent, but if the Korean pitchers with a good atmosphere block them, they can gain tremendous confidence.

On the other hand, the batters' conditions have yet to improve. South Korea had eight hits in the match against Australia but scored only three runs due to lack of cohesion. It is also regrettable that Kim Hye-sung, Jihoon Choi, and Yoon Dong-hee, who had high expectations, all failed to hit.

Next-generation big shot Noh Si-hwan was active with 3 hits and 1 RBI in 5 at-bats, and shortstop Kim Joo-won hit multiple hits, but he lacked the power to save the scoring position.

He played in the tournament without playing an official game for a while and was pushed out of the water fight due to lack of information on opposing pitchers. As a result, Ryu is predicting a change in the batting order against Japan.

Japan will send its left-handed Jihiro Sumida (24, Seibu Lyons) as a starter against the Korean team. Sumida, a top pitcher in college, joined the Seibu Lions in 2022. This season's performance was 9-10 with a 3.44 ERA.

It is difficult for a batter because there are various types of pitches such as changeups, curves, sliders, cut fastballs, and two-seam fastballs with a fast ball of 150 kilometers. In particular, he is said to be strong against right-handed hitters because he has good changeups.

South Korea hopes once again for Noh Si-hwan, who became a hero in the match against Australia. Noh Si-hwan has a great desire for a home run because he has not tasted his hands since the Hangzhou Asian Games.

If Noh Si-hwan hits a shot after shaking the opponent's mound with frequent on-base hits in the top batter's box, the game could be easily solved.

Noh Si-hwan said, "Japanese pitchers have good control and excellent control. "It's a quality level," he said. "But I have to do my job well at bat no matter who the opponent is." I will do my best to overcome it," he said.

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