“We will have to play without those two players, so we are expecting great difficulties”
Kiwoom Heroes head coach Hong Won-ki congratulated his three players who are going to the Hangzhou Asian Games in an interview before their game against KT Wiz in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on 9 September.
The KBO announced the final roster for the baseball team for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games in September. Kiwoom’s Lee Jung-hoo, Kim Hye-sung, and Kim Dong-heon were selected.
“I hadn’t paid much attention to the selection of the Asian Games team because our team situation was more important,” said manager Hong Won-ki, “but all the players selected will have a sense of responsibility because they will be representing their country and Korean baseball in an important competition. I think it’s an honour for each player individually, and I think it’s an honour for the team to have so many players selected,” he said, congratulating the players on their selection to the Asian Games.스포츠토토
Lee Jung-hoo and Kim Hye-sung are national regulars who also played in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March. But this time, high school rookie catcher Kim Dong-heon was a surprise selection. Coach Hong Won-ki said, “He is a high school rookie, but I believe he was selected because of his potential. He is still adapting and growing well in the first team, but there are definitely some areas that are lacking. He will continue to grow a lot by repeating failures and successes through future games,” he said, looking forward to Kim Dong-heon’s performance.
Kiwoom, along with LG and NC, had the most players selected to the squad with three. While it’s an honour to have so many national team players, it’s complicated for head coach Hong Won-ki to have to let go of two of his biggest stars, Lee Jung-hoo and Kim Hye-sung, for the duration of the league.
“As everyone knows, Lee Jung-hoo and Kim Hye-sung are the mainstays of our team,” said Hong Won-ki, “so it will be very difficult for us to play without them. However, once the tournament starts, we will have to play without them, so I hope they will be healthy and in the best condition to help the team win as much as possible before going to the Asian Games,” he said, adding that he is looking forward to the performance of his starters.