Lee Jung-hoo, an outfielder for the Korean baseball team, delivered his thoughts on the end of the tournament, which was regrettable.
Korea won a cold game 22-2 in the 5th inning against China in Group B of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) held at Tokyo Dome, Japan on the 13th. Korea had already failed to advance to the quarterfinals before the match, but set a new record for the most points scored in a single WBC game (previously 18 points twice) in the last game of the group stage.메이저놀이터
On this day, Lee Jung-hoo went 2 at bats, 2 hits, 1 walk and 3 RBIs, and ended the game in the 3rd inning when he was replaced by runner Byeong-ho Park due to minor muscle pain. Lee Jung-hoo appeared in 4 games and recorded 6 hits in 14 at-bats with a batting average of 0.429 and an OPS of 1.071. Ahead of this tournament, he was a hitter who was named in the best 13 along with prominent major leaguers.
However, Lee Jung-hoo couldn’t help but smile as Korea accepted the bitter report card of 2 wins and 2 losses and failed to advance to the quarterfinals. Lee Jung-hoo regretted, “Many young players, including myself, participated in this tournament, but it was a tournament where we could feel that our skills were inferior to many baseball players in the world.”
The following is a Q&A with Lee Jung-hoo.
– How do you feel about playing today?
Even if the ranking is decided, it is the player’s duty to do their best until the end, so I worked hard.
-What is your overall rating after the first round?
A lot of fans and people expected a lot, but I’m sorry that the result turned out like this. Many young players, including me, participated in this tournament, but it was a tournament where we could feel that our skills were inferior to many baseball players in the world. I think it’s okay to develop without getting frustrated. I need to prepare well from now on so that I can show a better image at the next WBC.
– What needs to be improved in the future?
Each player’s lacking part may not be the same and may be different. I think each team should go back and improve what they felt at this tournament.
-I personally achieved good results, but what is the positive harvest from this competition? Are there any scenes that left an impression on you?
Prepared for the winter to hit fast balls and pitches that change a lot. It seems that it has become a stage to test what we have prepared. Matches with other teams were not important, and when I played against Japan, I think it was a testament to how well I dealt with Japanese pitchers’ balls without missing a swing. The most memorable at-bat is that I hit against Yu Darvish, but the foul ball that went to the right in the first at-bat is memorable.
-You played in Japan this time following your father. Do you have any thoughts of wanting to play in the Japanese baseball world?
Right now, I think I need to do better in Korea. I don’t know what will happen after this season, but so far I want to challenge myself in the United States.