A Japanese data analysis company cited ‘hitting against left-handed pitchers with a fastball’ as the weakness of the Korean national baseball team to participate in the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Japan’s ‘Data Stadium’ argued in an article analyzing WBC championship candidates on the 6th, “The key for the Japanese national team to attack Korea is to use left-handed pitchers.”
First of all, the media said about the Korean mound, “The center of the pitching staff is Kim Gwang-hyun (SSG Landers) and Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA Tigers), and promising young pitchers, including 2021 Rookie of the Year Lee Eui-ri (KIA) and So-jun So (kt wiz), who won 13 wins last year. There is,” he introduced.
In addition, “Ko Woo-seok (LG Twins), who will be the finishing pitcher, will come out even stronger as he became the losing pitcher in the semi-final match against Japan in the Tokyo Olympics. It reminds me of Lim Chang-yong,” he added.
Regarding coach Lee Kang-cheol, the “pitcher trainer” in charge of the Korean national baseball team, he cautioned, “The WBC, which has a pitch limit, is an important tactic to operate the bullpen, and has a reputation for using skilled pitchers.”
The Keystone combination, which will be formed by shortstop Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres) and second baseman Tommy Edman (St. Louis Cardinals), was praised as “one of the best defenses among teams participating in the tournament.” 먹튀검증
The media, which continued to analyze Korean baseball extensively to the extent of citing Lee Jeong-hoo (Kiwoom Heroes) as the No. 1 subject to be wary of, insisted that left-handed pitchers with fastballs should be actively employed in the game against Korea.
The basis is a foreign player who went to Japan after performing well in the KBO League and failed to ‘attack the left hand’ and struggled.
The media said, “Mel Rojas Jr., who was the KBO league’s best player (MVP) in 2020, had a batting average of 0.379 against lefties in Korea that year, but struggled with a batting average of 0.148 against lefties in Japan in 2021. Left-handed pitcher Andrew Suarez also had 10 wins and 2 losses in Korea. After playing an active role with an ERA of 2.18, he was expelled from the Yakult Swallows after a year in Japan.”
“Even in the 2019 Premier12, the Korean national team’s batting average against right-handed opponents was 0.260 and that against left-handed opponents was 0.183. Lee Jung-hoo, who has exceeded 30% batting average against left-handed opponents for the past five years, also met a left-handed pitcher at the Tokyo Olympics and was silent with no hits in 12 at-bats.” continued to claim.
At the same time, “For the Japanese national team, left-handed pitchers such as Shota Imana (Yokohama DeNA Baystars), Yuki Matsui (Rakuten Golden Eagles), and Keiji Takahashi (Yakult) with speeds of over 150 km/h will be the match for the Korean game.”
After selecting Korea and Japan as the second round of Group B, the media added an analysis that Australia, China and the Czech Republic would challenge the remaining teams.
Six items, including batting, mobility, selection, bullpen, defense, and experience, were scored on a 10-point scale. Japan ranked first with a total of 50 points, and Korea ranked second with 44 points.
Australia ranked third with 27 points, China fourth with 26 points, and the Czech Republic last with 24 points.