KIA has faced a ‘elimination nightmare’ as they have removed key starters, pitchers, closers, and five tool hitters from their squad.
After missing key left-hander Lee Yi-ri to the Asian Games, the KIA Tigers are sending a whopping four starters to next month’s Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC).
The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) announced the 26-man roster for the APBC. Ryu Jung-il, who leads the Korean national team, attended a joint press conference with the managers of the APBC participating nations in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, and the KBO announced the roster beforehand. The tournament is open to players aged 24 or younger (born on or after January 1, 1999) or in their third year of eligibility (born after 2021), with up to three players aged 29 or younger (born on or after January 1, 1994) as wild cards.
In addition to the 26-man final roster, a 20-man preliminary roster was also announced. The number of players will change depending on the postseason schedule. The final roster may also be adjusted based on the Korean Series schedule.
A total of 20 reserve roster spots are available for the tournament as per the rules. The Power Enhancement Committee announced today that it has selected 20 reserve rosters for the Korean Series and postseason schedule, as well as in case players need to be replaced due to injury or other reasons.
Most notable are the KIA players. Lee Yi-ri, who was named to the final roster for the Hangzhou Asian Games but was notified of his injury the day before the team was called up, has been named to the APBC roster. The national team chose a replacement due to the aftermath of Lee’s injury and added Lotte Giants outfielder Yoon Dong-hee to the roster. Despite his disappointment at the time, Lee proved his mettle in his next four appearances, going five innings or more and allowing two runs or less.
Lee was selected by the Korean National Team for the APBC as part of a “duo” of left-handed starters alongside SSG Landers’ Oh Won-seok.
The entire KIA organization was shocked by Lee’s omission from the Asian Games roster. Kia officials, including team president Shim Jae-hak, were disappointed. Only Choi Ji-min and Choi Won-jun participated in the Asian Games. At the time of his selection, Choi was playing for Sangmu.
However, in addition to Lee, pitcher Choi Ji-min and closer Jung Hae-young were selected for the APBC team. In addition, Kim Do-young, a five-tool player who has grown into a “top hitter” and key hitter, was also selected. Aside from Choi, both Jung and Kim were disappointed to not make the roster for the Asian Games. Jung has been a consistent closer since her debut, 먹튀검증토토사이트 and would have been a strong contender to make the team had the Asian Games been held last year. However, this season, she suffered her worst slump since her debut, and her slump was prolonged, and she was ultimately not selected. Jung Hae-young was also disappointed not to make the APBC team, as she found her form again at the end of the season.
Kim Do-young is only in her second year as a professional and is a batsman who will be a key part of the national team in the future. However, this season, she has been plagued by injuries and has been unable to play the first half of the season. This included missing the Asian Games. The team was looking to bolster its batting lineup and seriously considered adding Kim to the squad after she returned from injury. But that didn’t happen.
After being eliminated from the postseason, KIA had a quick turnaround and all of their core players were selected for the APBC. It’s something to be proud of, but it also leaves a bitter aftertaste.