Участник:토토사이트랭크
ll Ryu Joong-il wake up as a sweet potato batting lineup
The Korean national baseball team, led by coach Ryu Joong-il, will clash with China in the second game of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games Baseball Super Round at the Shaoxing Baseball & Softball Sports Center-Baseball in Hangzhou, China on the 6th.
Korea made a comeback by winning the first game of the Super Round against Japan the previous day 2-0. In the Hangzhou Asian Games baseball super round, the 1st and 2nd place teams from groups A and B of the group stage gather to play a game.
However, without a rematch between teams that faced each other in the group stage, the group stage wins and losses are applied to determine the final ranking in the super round. Korea lost to Taiwan in the group stage and lost first place in Group B. While Taiwan started the Super Round with one win, Korea was at a disadvantage because it had one loss.
For this reason, Korea had a guillotine match with Japan, second place in Group A, from the first match of the super round. In fact, the moment we lost, we would be pushed back to the bronze medal match, so there was no answer other than victory. As Japan lost to China in the group stage, they also had to overcome the variable of the Korea-Japan match being moved up by a day.
Fortunately, Korea defeated Japan and Taiwan defeated China, making the case simpler. China, which was first in Group A, lost to Taiwan with 1 win and 1 loss. If Korea beats China, they will have 2 wins and 1 loss, and China will have 1 win and 2 losses, so Korea and Taiwan can advance to the gold medal match.
However, considering their performance against Japan, it is difficult to guarantee that they will be able to easily defeat China. In Korea's game against Japan, Park Se-woong (Lotte) laid the foundation for victory with a perfect pitch in 6 innings, allowing 2 hits, 2 walks, striking out 9, and allowing no runs. Choi Ji-min (KIA), who came on the mound later, held a scoreless inning and Park Young-hyun (KT) recorded a scoreless save in two innings.
However, it was difficult to give good scores to the batting lineup except for leadoff Kim Hye-seong (Kiwoom), fourth hitter Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha), and Kim Joo-won (NC), who recorded one double. They were unable to score a single run until the 5th inning due to the dominance of Japanese starting pitcher Shuichiro Kayo.
Gayo targeted Korean hitters with fastballs in the low to mid-150km range and breaking balls such as changeups. Although he is playing in a social (unemployed) league rather than a professional player, he is an excellent pitcher who is likely to advance to Japanese professional baseball next year.
But even taking this into account, Korea’s gap was serious. Noh Si-hwan finally took a breather with a 1-RBI outfield sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 6th inning and a timely hit with 1 RBI in the bottom of the 8th.
The problem is the China war. The final entry for the Hangzhou Asian Games baseball event is 24, which is less than the 28 players for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) or Premier 12. Compared to other international competitions, the game will be played with a smaller number of players.
For this reason, Kim Hye-seong (second baseman, Kiwoom) - Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder, SSG) - Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder, Lotte) - Noh Si-hwan (third baseman, Hanwha) - Moon Bo-kyung (first baseman, LG) - Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter, KT) - Kim Joo-won ( The lineup consisting of shortstop, NC) - Kim Hyung-jun (catcher, NC) - Kim Seong-yoon (left field, Samsung) is currently the best. To make matters worse, it is difficult to guarantee whether outfielder Choi Won-jun (KIA) will play in the game because he is not in 100% condition due to a calf injury.
Chinese mounds are by no means easy. They won a shutout against Japan in the group stage and lost 1-4 against Chinese Taipei on the 5th, but it didn't feel like they were falling down as easily as before.
In the match against Japan, Korea missed quite a few early chances, such as 1st base with no outs in the bottom of the 1st inning, 1st and 2nd bases with no outs in the bottom of the 4th, and 1st base with no outs in the bottom of the 5th, so they had no choice but to play the game in a difficult manner. They won 10-0 and 17-0 against Hong Kong and Thailand, respectively, where the pitchers were of low quality, but failed to score a single point against Taiwan and struggled against China. Even with runners on base, it seems like timely hits are hard to come by and the players are feeling a bit of pressure.
In a mixed zone interview after the match against Japan, Noh Si-hwan explained, "I am playing in the Asian Games thinking that every game is important and that it is the final game. I think it will be burdensome no matter who goes to bat when there is a chance to score."
He continued, "He is a really good hitter who can overcome this pressure. Our players will focus a little more and overcome the mental burden so that we can win the championship."
Coach Ryu Joong-il also does not hide his caution, saying, "Chinese baseball has developed a lot. Their pitching ability is good. We will analyze it well and play the game."
China is also expected to make an all-out effort in the Korean War. China has never won a medal in any of the previous Summer Asian Games, always being behind Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
As this tournament, held at home, is an opportunity to win the first medal in Chinese baseball history, it is expected that all pitchers available to pitch in the Korean game will be devoted to it.
In Korea, the pitching staff is much more stable than the batting lineup. However, since the gold medal match will immediately follow on the evening of the 7th, it is important to reduce bullpen consumption in the game against China. In the end, the challenge for the championship may vary greatly depending on how batters attack the Chinese pitching staff.
The challenge for a fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal will become easier only if players with good batting skills, such as leadoff Kim Hye-sung, fourth hitter Noh Si-hwan, and the tournament's best star Yoon Dong-hee, continue to play, as well as silenced Baek-ho Kang and Bo-kyung Mo