Veteran pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong (35, KIA Tigers) of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team and coach Lee Kang-cheol (kt wiz) have a deep relationship.
Yang Hyeon-jong, who joined the KIA in 2007, received intensive training from manager Lee Kang-cheol, who was active as a pitching coach for his team at the time안전놀이터, and grew into a left-handed pitcher representing the league.
Yang Hyeon-jong also surpassed various records set by manager Lee Kang-cheol as a player.
He won his 159th personal career in the 2022 season, surpassing manager Lee Kang-cheol (152 wins) and ranked 3rd in KBO league history, and with a total of 1,814 strikeouts, surpassed manager Lee Kang-cheol (1,751) and ranked second in personal career strikeouts. did.
Director Lee Kang-cheol cheered his pupil, sparing no thanks and praise whenever Yang Hyeon-jong broke his record.
Director Lee Kang-cheol and Yang Hyeon-jong, who have been separated since 2012, wear the same uniform and look at the same place for the first time in a long time.
Director Lee Kang-cheol will serve as the command tower and Yang Hyeon-jong as the main pitcher in the 2023 WBC.
On the 19th (Korean time), the two met for the first time in a long time at the national team training held at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA.
On this day, Hyeon-jong Yang pitched in the bullpen for the first time after joining the national team training, and coach Kang-cheol Lee looked at the contents of the pitch from behind.
Director Lee Kang-cheol said a lot of encouraging words whenever Yang Hyeon-jong threw the ball, saying, “It’s good!” and “I think I built my body quickly.”
Yang Hyeon-jong, who stood in front of the reporters after pitching the bullpen, said, “Director Lee Kang-cheol said that he had grown up a lot.” said.
He continued, “When I was pitching in the bullpen, I felt like I was back in my rookie days.”
Yang Hyeon-jong’s position in the national team has not yet been decided.
He is active as an irreplaceable starting resource for his team, but he can also go out as a bullpen in the WBC.
Regarding this, Yang Hyeon-jong said, “The coach ordered me to prepare because I can throw as a middle pitcher in December of last year.”
On this day, Yang Hyeon-jong improved his physical condition by throwing a total of 43 balls, including fastballs, changeups, curves, and sliders.
Regarding pitching on this day, he said, “The weather has been cold for the past few days, so my hands have been dry.” “Today, I think I threw the ball comfortably in warm weather. It seems to be,” he said.
In addition, regarding the adaptation of the WBC official ball, he said, “I don’t know about the changeup and slider, but there is a feeling that the curve is slipping out of the hand.”
Yang Hyeon-jong promised that he would faithfully play the role of a senior leading juniors.
He said, “Young players such as Hyungjun So (kt), Changmo Koo (NC Dinos), and Yoonsik Kim (LG Twins) asked a lot of questions. “I told you everything I know,” he said.