Due to the influence of strong winds, heavy snow, and rain in the western United States, the WBC Korean team shortened their schedule including routine and indoor batting practice on the morning of the 22nd. The scheduled practice match against KT was postponed to the next day. The pitchers are on the slow side, but the weather isn’t helping. On the 24th, the temperature in Tucson, Arizona is expected to be 3 degrees Celsius in the morning and a maximum of 14 degrees Celsius, so it is chilly. The physical condition of the pitchers is somewhat worrying.

The entry for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) competition is 30 players. The regulation must include at least 14 pitchers and two catchers unconditionally. Most teams have rosters of 15 pitchers and 15 fielders.

A pitcher is limited to a maximum of 65 pitches per round. 80 for the second round and 95 for the semifinals. Pitchers who have thrown more than 50 can pitch after a four-day break. 30 should take a day off. When there are less than 30, only pitching is possible for two consecutive days. In the WBC tournament, pitcher management is more important than anything else.

It was KT coach Lee Kang-cheol and former Doosan coach Kim Tae-hyung who competed until the last minute for the WBC Korean national team coach. The biggest reason Lee Kang-cheol was finally selected as manager was pitcher management. In other words, the technical committee judged that a former pitcher is better than a catcher.

Over the past years, the WBC Korean national team coach has been dominated by pitchers such as pitcher Kim In-sik (2006, 2009, 2017) and fielder Ryu Joong-il (2013). It is a senior who recognized the importance of pitching in short-term matches. The US national team has never been coached by a former pitcher.

The WBC has no choice but to strictly control the number of pitches out of fear of injury as it is before the start of the professional leagues in each country. In fact, the limit of 65 pitches per round means a maximum of 4 innings of pitching토토사이트. It can be called a slightly modified bullpen game. In the second round, the starter can throw up to 6 innings.

The WBC is a game where the weight of the bullpen is higher than the selection. Of the 15 pitchers in the Korean national team, 10 are starting pitchers and 5 are from the bullpen. Japan, which is considered a favorite for the championship, also has 10 starters and 5 bullpen players. The major leaguers, the USA, have 6 starters and 9 bullpen players. The Dominican Republic is the starting three. These include Sanda Alcantara, Johnny Cueto (Miami Marlins), and Christian Javier (Houston Astros). The rest are quick-balled bullpen specialists.

In Korea, 5 players specializing in the bullpen have joined the national team. Finishers Ko Woo-seok (LG), Lee Yong-chan (NC), Kim Won-joong (Lotte), setup man Jung Woo-young (LG), and Jeong Chun-won (Doosan). During the tournament, starting pitchers must be put in from the bullpen. To the extent that he is selected for the national team, he is a top-notch player in Korea. There is no need to cover the starting pitcher or the bullpen. But the routine is different. This is a stumbling block.

The pitching composition is almost continuous until the second round in Tokyo Tom, so a bullpen center is ideal for a 6-man starting system like the US national team. It has the advantage of not departing from the pitchers’ routine significantly during the tournament.The reason why the national team has a high selection ratio is in line with the structure of the KBO League and Korean baseball in general. Central and South American countries influenced by the United States or major leagues are fostered as bullpen specialists from the beginning. He specialized in the bullpen in college and minor leagues. Of course, there are occasional cases where the position is changed from starting to bullpen. In Korea, the range of professional bullpen pitchers is very narrow. In most cases, the position is changed to the bullpen when the starter fails to adapt.