"Will you let me go when it hurts?" It is not easy for Son Joo-young and Koo Ja-wook. Ryu Joong-il starts training for the Premier 12 national team amid coach Ryu Joong-il's concerns (on the site of Gocheok)
Oct 24, 2024
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Ryu Joong-il, manager of the Korean baseball team, still expressed his concerns about the formation of the national team at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 24th, when he began his first training in preparation for the Premier 12.
Coach Ryu said, `There are many players playing the Korean Series now, and Koo Ja-wook just asked a question and received a call from KBO a few days ago, and he said he received a medical certificate for Son Joo-young.'
Coach Ryu went on to say, `I heard the player is sick, will the club send him?' and `I don't think Koo Ja-wook will be easy, too.'
Son Joo-young was a pitcher who will be selected as a left-handed starter in this Premier 12. He pitched 144 ⅔ innings in 28 appearances in the regular league, recording 9-10 losses and a 3.79 ERA. Although he did not reach 10 wins, he ranked eighth overall in ERA and second in Korea. The heavy fastball of up to 152km is attractive and has sliders, curves, and fork balls.
In the semi-playoff, he came out to the bullpen and blocked it perfectly. In Game 3, he became a winning pitcher with five scoreless innings, and in Game 5, he recorded a hold with two scoreless innings. It was disappointing in the playoff against Samsung. He started Game 2 after three days of rest, but became a losing pitcher with four runs (three earned) in four ⅓ innings. In Game 4, he came out as the second pitcher in the top of the seventh inning and was hit by Kang Min-ho in the top of the eighth inning, grabbed two outs, raised his arm, called a trainer, and came down the mound on his own. Later, during a detailed examination at the hospital, he was found to need a break of 2 to 4 weeks due to the left elbow flexor and 1 lumbar muscle.
Koo Ja-wook hurt his left knee when sliding while hitting a hit in the bottom of the first inning and stealing a base in the second round of the playoffs. After being diagnosed with fine ligament damage, he immediately went to Japan for treatment, and returned to Korea to take a hit, but is waiting as a pinch hitter in the Korean Series due to difficulties in running base. If running base is difficult even after the Korean Series is over, it is not easy to participate in the Premier 12.
"The players who participated in the training now are not injured," Ryu said. "My current plan is to leave for Taiwan on November 8, and I plan to play the last practice match with Sangmu on November 6 and decide on the final entry."
The biggest concern is the starting pitcher and the fourth batter. Moon Dong-ju and No. 4 Noh Si-hwan, who played as the first starter at the Asian Games last year, were missing this time. Manager Ryu said, "Our starter now is Kwak Bin, Won-tae, Ko Young-pyo, Um Sang-baek, Choi Seung-yong..." and added, "We need about four starters due to the schedule of the tournament, but I'm wondering which country and which pitcher to put in. Each country uses starters based on the characteristics of batters, but I think we should make a judgment based on the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent." Coach Ryu also expressed his concerns about the lineup, saying, `At lunch, batting coach Jang Jong-hoon asked me who the fourth batter would be.' Ryu Joong-il has to confirm his best lineup and starting lineup through practice matches against Cuba on November 1 and 2.
indyk@sportschosun.com
