The South Korean national baseball team is gearing up for its first match in Group B of the 2024 WBSC Premier 12. Led by manager Ryu Joong-il, the team will face host Taiwan at the Taipei Dome at 7:30 PM on the 13th. South Korea has a recent record of 2 wins and 3 losses against Taiwan, including a 1-2 defeat at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, a 0-7 loss in the 2019 Premier 12 Super Round, and a 0-4 loss in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games preliminary round. However, South Korea managed a 2-0 victory in the Hangzhou Asian Games final and a 6-1 win in the 2023 APBC preliminary round.
The national team held its first official practice at the Taipei Dome on the 12th. However, Taiwan’s immature preparations as host have already raised concerns. At the official press conference held on the 12th, no interpreters were provided for each country, only Chinese, which is unusual for an international event. Furthermore, there were no tables in the conference room, and the managers and captains of the four teams had to stand for the interviews. The announcement of each team’s starting pitcher was also suddenly canceled just five minutes before the press conference. These differences from the WBC and other major international tournaments have sparked controversy, especially with Premier 12 already criticized for its level of play compared to the WBC.
The Taipei Dome, where the game against Taiwan will be held, opened in December last year. It has impressive dimensions, with left and right field at 101.8 meters and center field at 121.9 meters, and it can accommodate over 40,000 spectators, making it Taiwan’s first domed stadium. Manager Ryu Joong-il commented, “The grass here is longer than in Gocheok Dome, and the ball speed is slower. Other than that, it seems fine. The slower ball speed will make it harder to score hits.”
The starting pitcher for South Korea’s first game will be Go Young-pyo from KT. Manager Ryu explained, “The coaching staff thinks Taiwan’s batters struggle against side-arm pitchers, and the analytics team shared this view.” He added, “We only have four starting pitchers, so Go Young-pyo will also pitch against Australia. He will have to pitch twice, which was part of our decision.” Taiwan’s starting pitcher will be left-hander Lin Yu-min, who successfully pitched against South Korea twice in the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Premier 12: Why and When Was It Started, and Why Is It Considered Below the WBC?
The origins of Premier 12 date back to 2011. When the Baseball World Cup, which had been held since 1938, ended after 73 years, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) felt a new international tournament was needed. Particularly since baseball was dropped as an Olympic sport after the 2012 London Olympics, the World Baseball Classic (WBC), spearheaded by MLB, was the only major international tournament left. WBSC decided that a new form of international competition was essential.