Finished the tournament 4-0 in the bronze medal match of the 2023 World Baseball Softball Confederation

South Korea lost 1-7 and 1-5, respectively, as it showed lethargic performance in the first round of the Super Round against Japan and the U.S. in the second round. The national team, which had to play a tight schedule due to rain from the beginning of the tournament, suffered physically, playing its first Super Round match about four hours after the group stage match against Puerto Rico. He also felt the difference in skills with other teams such as Taiwan, and left a disappointment as the fielders made small mistakes in defense.

At least, it was encouraging that South Korea kept its pride by winning the final game of the super round against the Netherlands, and advanced to the bronze medal match as fourth place in the super round, ahead of Puerto Rico in the TQB (Team Quality Balance). Coincidentally, the last opponent of the national team in this tournament was the United States, which faced off in the second round of the super round.

In Korea, Jeong An-seok (2nd baseman, Hwimungo), Lee Choong-heon (1st baseman, Chungam High School), Yeo Dong-gun (1st baseman, Seoul High School), Park Ji-hwan (3rd baseman, Chungam High School), Lee Yul-ye (3rd baseman, Gangneung High School), Lee Sang-joon (left fielder, library)-Lee Seung-min (right fielder) had no big difference.

Starting pitcher Kim Taek-yeon will take the mound for five consecutive days. Starting with 54 pitches against Taiwan on the 2nd, he has already pitched a lot of pitches, including 15 pitches against Australia on the 4th, 21 pitches against Puerto Rico on the 6th and 7th (spaced games), 16 pitches against the U.S. on the 8th, and 24 pitches against the Netherlands on the 9th. However, coach Lee Young-bok wanted to do his best until the end to win the prize, and he chose to push Kim Taek-yeon as a starter.

The U.S. had a lineup of Manuel Marin (shortstop), Derek Curiel (center fielder), Connor Griffin (right fielder), Perry Moreland (first baseman), Nolan Trager (catcher), Bryce Rayner (left fielder), Buck-Lee Mabeus (catcher), Carter Johnson (third baseman) and Coey James (2nd baseman). The starting pitcher is Cooper Williams.

After leadoff Jung An-seok got on base with a hit in the top of the first inning, South Korea moved to third base with an opponent's wild pitch and Lee Chung-heon's sacrifice bunt, and stepped home when Yeo Dong-gun hit third base with one out to give the team the first run. On top of that, follow-up hitter Park Ji-hwan brought third baseman Yeo Dong-gun home with a bunt hit, making the score 2-0.

Starting pitcher Kim Taek-yeon finished the bottom of the first inning with one strikeout, and at the bottom of the second inning, he gave up a hit to leadoff hitter Moreland but finished the inning without losing a point. In the bottom of the third inning, he also struck out two and continued his scoreless streak.

South Korea, which needed an extra point, scored one point in the top of the fourth inning. After the U.S. took the mound with its second pitcher Matthew Chapman, leadoff hitter Cho Hyun-min got on base with a hit, and Lee Sang-joon helped second baseman Cho Hyun-min score with a timely RBI after Lee Yul-ye's sacrifice bunt. The score is 3-0.

South Korea made a solid wedge in the top of the sixth inning. This time, leadoff hitter Cho Hyun-min provided a chance with a walk, and Lee Seung-min hit a triple at second base with two outs after Lee Yul-ye's sacrifice bunt and Lee Sang-joon's fly ball. In the meantime, second baseman Cho Hyun-min stepped home and tilted toward South Korea.

Kim Taek-yeon, who did not give a point in the bottom of the fifth inning following the bottom of the fourth inning, finished the bottom of the sixth inning with a three-way exit, and took the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning to finish it with his own strength. Griffin's right fielder fly ball and Moreland's swing strikeout filled two out counts, and Levi Clark's grounder confirmed the bronze medal. At the end of the game, all the players came to the ground and shared their joy.

Lee Seung-min, who hit two hits in the batting line, or Cho Hyun-min, who played third base, had a great presence. In addition, the batters' even performance also helped the team win, with seven starting hitters recording more than one hit except for Lee Yul-ye and Yeon Joon-won.

However, no matter what anyone says, the main player of the bronze medal was starter Kim Taek-yeon. He pitched seven innings with two hits, one walk, nine strikeouts, and no runs, marking the U.S. game with a shutout. It is true that he showed overwhelming performance not only throughout the game but also throughout the tournament.

On the other hand, it can be seen that the young pitcher had to bear the burden of "five consecutive pitches." Even in the game, Kim Taek-yeon was in charge of the start and end of the game alone without a single relief pitcher. As a result, it is definitely a good thing for both the team and the players because they won the bronze medal, but it was the last match between Kim Taek-yeon and the national team that left a sense of uneasiness.

In particular, when young players appear in international competitions, similar situations are repeated, and everyone agrees on the need to solve problems. Nevertheless, the entire baseball community needs to review the environment in which everything has to be poured out before entering the professional league and before fully blooming its talents. 메이저사이트

Meanwhile, Japan and Taiwan, which played the final match in the evening, had a tight match throughout the game, and Japan beat Taiwan 2-1 to win the gold medal after a one-point battle. Taiwan, the 'host country' that lost even after playing an equal match, ended the tournament with a silver medal.