'Starting? I don't know → Revealed in an hour' Unsurprisingly, why did the Taiwanese coach finally hide it?
Nov 13, 2024
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Attention is focusing on the reason for Taiwanese director Zeng Hao-ju's silence. At the official press conference of the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 held at the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei on the 12th (Korea time), Zeng did not reveal the starting pitcher.
Then, about an hour after the event, Lin Yu-min (Arizona Diamondbacks) was announced to start through WBSC.
The biggest concern of local media in Taiwan was the starting pitcher of the national team. As director Zeng continued to remain silent, the question mark grew. Whenever Taiwanese reporters visited the scene to watch Ryu Joong-il, who went to local training in Tianmu Stadium and Taipei Dome respectively, the answer came back when they asked for a starting pitcher was "We are also waiting for Zeng's announcement." was an answer and a sigh.
The majority expected Lin Yu-min to start.
Lin Yu-min is a left-hander who uses sliders, curves, and change-ups with a fastball of 150km. There was no big league appearance this year, but he pitched 104 ⅓ innings in Double-A and Triple-A under Arizona's minor teams, with a 3-6 record and an ERA of 4.05. He steadily started in the minor leagues and gained abundant experience. In last year's first showdown in the preliminary round of the Hangzhou Asian Games, he pitched six scoreless innings against South Korea's batters, serving as Taiwan's top contributor to the 4-0 victory. He took the mound again in the final and allowed two runs, but lasted five innings. He was considered Taiwan's de facto ace in this tournament.
Veteran bullpen agent Chen Kwan-yu (Rakuten Monkeys) said through Yahoo Sports in Taiwan, "(Lin Yu-min's selection) is the best option. He must have prepared well." Coach Zeng also said in local media that `Lin Yu-min was considered the best pitcher since he first joined the team, and he was selected as the starting pitcher against Korea.'
Despite this, why did Zeng finally hide the starting pitcher.
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It's worth considering strategic judgment, too. Like Ryu Joong-il, Taiwan is also setting its primary goal to go to Tokyo. Japan is considered the most likely No. 1 in Group B, where tickets for the final round are given to the second place in the group, while South Korea and Taiwan are expected to compete for the second place. Amid Taiwan's explosive interest in the Korean match, coach Zeng is also vowing to win. It is worth considering that there was no intention to cause confusion by raising curiosity as much as possible.
Korean hitters have been constantly analyzing Lin Yu-min in anticipation of his appearance early on.
Hong Chang-ki (LG Twins) said "I heard he has good pitching and breaking balls. I was watching the video all the time. I'll handle it well." Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers) also said, `I heard that the older guys throw very tricky balls.' `We have to pay more attention to it carefully."
Will Taiwan's starting pitcher, who hid until the end, be able to confuse Ryu Joong-il as coach Zeng intended. The result is soon to be revealed.
ppark@sportschosun.com
