SSG Landers ace Kim Gwang-hyeon (35) prepares to transform into an ace of the Korean national baseball team.
Kim Gwang-hyun, whom we met in Vero Beach, Florida, USA on the 12th (Korean time), said, “I’m not in bad shape. I have to adjust my physical condition by March 8, so I’m making my body so that I can pitch with all my might at that time.”
March 8, as Gwang-Hyun Kim said, is the opening day of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). For Kim Gwang-hyun, it is 바카라사이트the first time in 14 years since the 2009 WBC. Our country, which belongs to Group B, will play the group stage with Australia, Japan, Czech Republic and China. Kim Gwang-hyun moves to Tucson, Arizona, where the national team camp will be held on the 14th.
As the tournament is held before the opening of professional baseball, Kim Gwang-hyun quickly started preparing for the tournament. He did individual training in Okinawa, Japan in January, and came to the United States ahead of the team schedule on the 25th of last month. Kim Gwang-hyun said, “Okinawa’s weather was good, so I built my body well. Ever since I was young, I was always proud to wear the Taegeuk mark and run. It’s a really honorable place.”
Kim Gwang-hyun said, “Going to the national team is a great experience in itself. The best players gather. There are things to learn by watching how they practice and how they play. .
Kim Gwang-hyun is a regular customer of the national team. He started with the final qualifying round for the 2008 Beijing Olympics (second place), then competed in the Olympic finals (gold medal), 2009 WBC (runner-up), 2015 Premier 12 (winner), and 2019 Premier 12 (runner-up). He pitched in 16 games in his career, posting a solid record of 5 wins, 3 losses, 3 holds, and an earned run average of 3.43. In particular, in the competitions in which Kim Gwang-hyun participated, Korea always performed better than runner-up.
At the time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Kim Gwang-hyeon, who was the youngest member of the 20-year-old pitching group, became the oldest. It means that he is still in good form. Kim Gwang-hyun said, “There are people who say, ‘Are you still Kim Gwang-hyun, or is Korean baseball still in place?’, but I am proud of myself. ” said
Kim Gwang-hyun is likely to play as a relief pitcher rather than a starter in the WBC. National team coach Lee Kang-cheol is establishing a big framework to entrust the starting pitchers to young pitchers and put veteran players in important moments. Kim Gwang-hyun said, “It is difficult to go out in the middle because I started as a starter for most of my professional career. But I have done it in the US, and I have experience in the bullpen in big games in the KBO League.” I will discuss it with you and prepare well,” he said.
The national team’s pitching staff consisted mainly of players born in the 1990s. Yang Hyeon-jong, the pitching group leader, and experienced Kim Gwang-hyeon took on the role of leading the players. Kim Gwang-hyun laughed, saying, “I’m worried about whether I should change into the MZ generation or play the role of an old man. I think I’ll have to decide based on the team atmosphere.”
He continued, “The national team always trained in a fun atmosphere. When I was young, I remember that seniors Lee Seung-yeop, Kim Dong-ju, Jin Gap-yong, and Park Jin-man matched their juniors well. I will also set the atmosphere so that my juniors can exercise comfortably. Needless to say,” he said.