To avoid confusion, the choice of KT coach Lee Kang-cheol (57) was a quick decision close to ‘5G’.
Coach Lee Kang-cheol joined the World Baseball Classic (WBC) team on the 15th (Korean time). Coach Lee and the WBC baseball team gathered in Tucson, Arizona, the United States, and unpacked their luggage at the lodging ahead of full-scale training on the 16th.
As the WBC schedule began, the national team’s head coach Lee Kang-cheol’s ‘legal affair’ also began. Director Lee, who led KT’s combined victory in 2021, rose to the WBC command tower in July of last year. From February 1st, he coached the KT team at the Tucson Kino Sports Complex, but as the WBC team was convened, he was unable to complete the club’s camp. The training distance for the national team is short as the KT camp site, Kino Sports Complex, is located. Still, unless you have two bodies, there may be setbacks in preparing for the season. This is because leaving the team in February and March, when the season is being planned, can act as a significant risk.
Coach Lee Kang-cheol met with reporters after the team’s training on the 15th and said, “I’ve seen all the ball players. The key players seem to have been in good shape. There are some players who have improved (condition) too quickly.” I am less worried because I know the players’ styles well. Even if I don’t want to see it, I have no choice but to see it (because the national team’s training ground is right next to it), but I think that’s okay.” In addition to the KT and WBC teams, the KIA Tigers are also holding spring camps at the Kino Sports Complex.
The WBC kicks off on March 8. The baseball team will play its first game against Australia in the first round of Group B on the second day of the opening day. Coach Lee Kang-cheol vacates his team for up to a month or more depending on his national team performance. Before joining the national team, coach Lee completed most of the opening game selection and starting lineup composition. He even willingly revealed the main details that were kept secret. Foreign pitcher Wes Benjamin will be in charge of the season opener against the LG Twins at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on April 1. Park Byung-ho, Anthony Alford, and Jang Seong-wu will fill the main lineup. Cho Yong-ho is the lead off, and Kang Baek-ho, who is attracting attention, takes the second position. 메이저놀이터
Manager Lee Kang-cheol said, “Benjamin is in really good condition. You’ll know it once you see it. Today (in live pitching) he reached 149 km/h. The best he did last season was 147 km/h.” Line) Kang Baek-ho said, ‘I saw the best left hand ever in the KBO league.’ He continued, “I talked to the hitting coach, and he thought about batting order number two and asked Baekho. He said, ‘It’s okay,’ so I’m going to go with it.” Coach Lee completed the idea of the lower batting order leading to Hwang Jae-gyun, Bae Jeong-dae, Park Kyung-soo, and Kim Sang-soo. Kang Baek-ho is the designated hitter and Park Byeong-ho is the first baseman.
Prior to the convocation of the WBC team, coach Lee Kang-cheol shared most of the contents with ‘interim coach’ Kim Tae-gyun. Director Lee said, “You have to tell (important decisions) quickly so that the head coach can sort it out on his own. Our members are always similar, so there’s nothing to lie about.”