Kwak Bin (24, Doosan), who has been preparing for the WBC (World Baseball Classic) since December of last year, received a passing grade in his first appearance for the national team.
Kwak Bin took the mound as the third pitcher in the WBC preparation match against the KIA Tigers held at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona on the 20th (Korean time), USA, and did not allow a single on-base against five batters.
Kwak Bin climbed the mound in the 3rd inning, leading 6-3, and grounders Hwang Dae-in and Kim Seok-hwan in succession, then caught Ryu Ji-hyeok as a floating ball in left field and quickly filled 3 out counts. Kwak Bin, who was unable to complete the set number of pitches by handling three batters so quickly, continued to strike out Woo-hyuk Byun and Seung-taek Han on swings in succession to end the inning. He seemed to be in the best condition that day with So Joon So. The highest speed of fastball was 148 km.
Kwak Bin, who we met after the game, said, “It was my first actual appearance this season, and it was better than I thought, and I was very satisfied. He said with a hearty smile, saying, “I heard that the highest fastball speed was 148 km.”
Kwak Bin, who was nominated for the first round of 2018 Doosan, finally broke out of an egg last year in his 5th year as a pro. After elbow surgery and various trials and errors, he played the role of an ace in the second half of last year, showing a drastic change with 5 wins, 2 losses and an average ERA of 2.98 in 11 games. And this led to his first national team promotion in his life. Kwak Bin, who was called Baemyeonggo Ohtani during his school days, recently received attention from the Japanese media as “Korea’s Ohtani is going to the WBC.”
Kwak Bin, who has achieved his dream of becoming a national team member, started individual training in preparation for the WBC from December last year. In the Doosan Australia Sydney Spring Camp, which started in February, bullpen pitching was conducted with the WBC official ball, and Yang Eui-ji, the main catcher at the time, said, “I think we can start right away.” 메이저놀이터
Kwak Bin said, “I always started playing catch at the end of January because my arms have been bad for the past two years, but this time, like everyone else, I started at the end of December. Then it feels like the pace is coming up well,” he said.
What will her life as an adult national representative for the first time in her life be like? Kwak Bin said, “I want to be friends with all the players. It’s so much fun. It’s nice to play baseball with people who are good at baseball. Every day is fun,” he said, rejoicing like a child.
Kwak Bin, who wears number 47 in Doosan, chose number 61 for the national team. Senior Na Seong-beom took the number 47 and engraved the number 61, the symbol of the ‘Korean Express’ Park Chan-ho.
Kwak Bin said, “Actually, I wanted to wear number 47, but (B) Seong-beom had an older brother, so I wore number 61.” I have a vague memory that my senior pitched well at the 2006 WBC,” he said, adding a special meaning to the number.
Kwak Bin, who prepared steadily for the WBC, showed off a perfect pitch in his first real match and took a proper picture of coach Lee Kang-cheol. With the current position, it seems that he will be able to perform the all-weather role of being called at important moments as well as selection.
Kwak Bin said, “It is true that I am burdened because I have never started baseball so quickly, but I put the Taegeuk mark for the first time. In the WBC tournament, both I and the team want good results, so I will throw it hard with one mind.”