Former national team coach Kim Gyeong-moon, who was the founding command tower and quickly raised the club to the top, faced the NC squad for the first time in five years. On the 17th (Korean time), coach Kim moved from Los Angeles, USA to Arizona, and on the 18th, he visited the NC spring camp in Tucson, Arizona at Annex Field. Coach Kim, who gave thanks to coach Kang In-kwon and the players at the NC camp, also prayed for the Korean national team to do well in the upcoming World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Director Kim said, “I happened to meet President Heo Gu-yeon and Director Lee Kang-cheol at dinner yesterday. It’s a pity that the weather here is cold, but I hope coach Lee Kang-cheol and the players prepare well and give good results.”
In addition, coach Kim said of NC, “Director Kang In-kwon is a very calm and clever leader. He’s been with me from player to coach, and I’m sure he’ll lead the team well. NC from the outside may look like its power has weakened, but another player can c바카라사이트ome out to fill the empty spot.”
It is coach Kim who has formed relationships with many players while holding the baton for a long time, including Doosan, NC, and the national team. Just looking at this national team, he played the season wearing the same uniform as Kim Hyun-soo, Yang Eui-chan, Lee Yong-chan, Na Seong-beom, and Koo Chang-mo. In particular, in the case of Chang-mo Koo, coach Kim fixed him in the starting rotation from the time he was a rookie and conducted the ‘Ace Project’, and Chang-mo Koo rose to become the NC’s native ace.
Regarding the conditions for the national team to excel at this WBC, coach Kim said, “The left hand is important in international competitions. If left-handed pitchers do well, the game can be easily solved. “It is advantageous to have a left-handed pitcher in the game against Japan,” he said. “I think Changmo will play a bigger role. In the case of Kim Gwang-hyun, he has experience in throwing in the United States and has participated in many international competitions. There is a lot of data, but Changmo may be unfamiliar with opponents in international competitions. He would probably be used as a good card. Coach Lee Kang-cheol is good at managing pitchers, so I believe this tournament will go well.”
He continued, “Last year, the World Cup soccer brought joy to the people. I hope baseball will also present joy to the people this time,” he said. “Perhaps our baseball players also watched the World Cup. I hope our players will work hard and return to Korea with a report card of the semifinals or higher.”
Coach Kim withdrew from the field after the Tokyo Olympics, but has not let go of baseball. Last year, he circled the LA Dodgers minor league team, and in January, he also faced Lee Jung-hoo, who trained in LA.
Coach Kim said, “I was really envious of the players while watching American clubs. If you look at the Dodgers Triple-A team alone, there are so many pitchers who throw more than 155 km. As for the beasts, I thought that at least three of them could do well in Korea right away. Since we have a limited number of players, it is not easy to raise them and produce results. I was very envious of the American player base and the systematic development system.”
Lastly, regarding Lee Jeong-hoo’s LA training, coach Kim said, “I changed my batting form to cope with fast balls. It was not an easy decision, but he made a bold change.” Looking back, “It is clear that there is a big difference between American pitchers and Korean pitchers. Batting form is important, but it will definitely take time for your eyes to get used to the faster ball than Korea. When he entered the major leagues, it would be good if he did well from the beginning, but I think he needs more time.”