It was on the 16th of last month (Korean time). “The rules are a bit difficult,” said Lee Kang-cheol, coach of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), who watched the national team’s first training session held at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona. One of the regulations that coach Lee mentioned was the ‘three batters duty opponent clause’. In the WBC, the ‘minimum three batters’ rule included in Official Baseball Rule 5.10 is applied, and the pitcher on the mound must face at least three batters unconditionally.
Director Lee Kang-chul was concerned about the worst situation.메이저사이트 Care was needed in mound management because it is difficult to replace even if the pitcher walks excessively. Coach Lee said, “My head hurts the most,” and “It’s over when I go out and throw three walks. I do,” he worried. A tournament in which the WBC must guarantee rest days according to the number of pitches. If the number of pitches is 30 or more, one day is required, and if the number of pitches is more than 50, a four-day break is required. This is the reason why a ‘walk alert’ was issued on the mound before the opening of the tournament.
Director Lee Kang-chul’s concerns became a reality. The national team lost 4-13 against Korea and Japan in the second match of Group B in the first round of the WBC held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 10th. In the beginning of the 3rd inning, Yang Eui-ji (Doosan Bears)’s home run and Lee Jung-hu’s (Kiwoom Heroes) timely hit tied together to take a 3-0 lead, but in the bottom of the 3rd inning (4 points) and the bottom of the 6th inning (5 points), they conceded a large amount of runs and ‘big inning’ allowed, knelt down. According to Baseball Savant, a major league statistics site,
There was a walk in the background of the near-worst Korea-Japan match. For the national team, 10 pitchers gave up 9 walks. Compared to Japan, where five pitchers gave up only one walk, there was a big difference in the content of the game. The highlight was episode 6. The national team revived the pursuit with a solo home run by Park Gun-woo (NC Dinos) in the attack in the top of the 6th inning. At the end of the 6th inning, where the team trailed 4-6, coach Lee Kang-cheol lowered Jeong Cheol-won (Doosan) and put Kim Yun-shik (LG Twins) on the mound. Jeong Cheol-won allowed lead hitter Takumu Nakano (Hanshin Tigers) to hit a triple, and the follow-up hitter Yuhei Nakamura (Yakult Swallows) missed the first pitch significantly. However, this choice ultimately led to defeat.
After giving Nakamura a walk, Kim Yun-sik sent out Lars Nuthba (St. Louis Cardinals) with a hit ball. Although the ball was not pitched at all, it was impossible to change the pitcher because of the ‘minimum 3 hitters opponent’ rule. In the end, Kim Yun-shik allowed Kensuke Kondo (Softbank Hawks) to kick off the ball and was beaten. Seizing the golden chance, Japan added 4 points from the bases loaded with 1 out, solidifying its winning streak. The national team put Kim Won-joong (Lotte Giants) and Jung Woo-young (LG) to put out the fire, but they could not control the Japanese line that had caught fire once. Even Lee Eui-ri (KIA Tigers), who took the mound in the 7th inning, struggled by giving up 3 walks in 1/3 innings.
Director Lee Kang-cheol said, “It can be a huge variable” over the ‘three hitter opponent rule’. Coincidentally, that variable went to the national team. The players’ control was seriously shaken more than expected.