On the 15th, Kino Sports Complex No. 4 auxiliary stadium in Tucson, Arizona, USA. A strange sense of tension flowed here, where professional baseball team KT set up a spring camp. This is because the pitcher and batter, who improved their condition at the fastest pace ahead of the opening of the 2023 season (April 1), stood on the mound and at bat, respectively. Coaching staff gathered around them and power analysts were busy filming their confrontation with video cameras.

Benjamin (30), a foreign left-handed pitcher whom KT coach Lee Kang-chul, who is leading the Korean national team to participate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) to be held in March, threw as a starter for the opening game this season. His fastball, which had a maximum speed of 147 km/h in the regular season last year, reached 149 km on this day.

Park Byeong-ho (37) at bat was not pushed back either. He picked out balls that fell out of the strike zone well, and swung with all his might on balls he could hit. Even slightly misplaced balls used to lead to hit balls with strength. Benjamin threw 21 balls against Byeong-ho Park and Baek-ho Kang (24) that day. Park Byung-ho and Kang Baek-ho, who were selected for the WBC national team, left their respective teams at the end of this training and joined the national team convened that day. 바카라

Park Byeong-ho, who met with a reporter before moving to the national team, said, “I have participated in many international competitions, but I am more excited because it is the first time the world’s best players participate in the WBC.” same. I will give everything so that there will be no regrets left behind.”

Park Byeong-ho is a home run hitter representing Korean professional baseball, but he had no relationship with the WBC. He shot 31 cannons in the 2012 season and won the home run king, but he was not named to the 3rd WBC national team held the following year. This is because he was pushed by Lee Seung-yeop (47, then Samsung) and Lee Dae-ho (41, then Orix) whose positions (first baseman) overlap. During the 4th tournament in 2017, when he was playing in the American Professional Baseball Major League (MLB), he could not participate due to an injury and a narrow position in his team Minnesota. The last international competition he participated in was the 2019 Premier12. Park Byeong-ho was sluggish in the Premier 12 with a batting average of 0.179 (5 hits in 28 at-bats).

Park Byeong-ho’s joining the WBC team happened like a miracle. After playing for Kiwoom and moving to KT last season, he came out of the downward trend and became the home run king (35), announcing a revival. He seriously injured his right ankle mid-season but recovered faster than expected. He is doing well both on defense and base running now. After being omitted from the preliminary list of the WBC national team (50 players), he proudly made his name when the final entry (30 players) was announced. This WBC is a good opportunity to reap the beauty of a kind.

His role in this competition has grown even more. This is because first baseman Choi Ji-man (32), who was originally scheduled to join the national team, cannot participate in the tournament due to opposition from Pittsburgh, an MLB team. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Technical Committee selected outfielder Choi Ji-hoon (26, SSG) instead of Choi Ji-man. This was possible because we believed in Park Byung-ho’s ability not only in batting but also in defending first base. Kang Baek-ho is the backup first baseman for Park Byung-ho. Park Byeong-ho said, “I am a junior on the same team, but I also learn a lot from watching Baek-ho. Baekho also asks me various things about defending first base.” He expressed his determination, saying, “I want to return home with a confident face.”