“I’ve never been ruined when I go” Kim Gwang-hyun’s delightful jinx… Please take care of this WBC too

Kim Gwang-hyun (SSG) sometimes laughed and said this when he met reporters in the dugout during the 2022 season. Although the season was in full swing, the 2023 WBC story was a regular topic of conversation on the field. For Kim Gwang-hyeon, international competitions were always full of good memories.

Looking at the tournament log, it really was. In the tournament where Kim Gwang-hyun participated, Korea performed well. The first adult national team stage after his debut was the final qualifying round for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In this tournament held in March 2008, Korea won a ticket to the finals by taking second place with a record of 6 wins and 1 loss.

And Kim Gwang-hyun started and fought well in both the Beijing Olympics full-league and semi-final match against Japan held that summer. The result, as everyone knows, was Korea’s 9-game gold medal. The next international competition was the 2009 WBC. Kim Gwang-hyun was beaten in the first round against Japan at the Tokyo Dome and became the cause of the 2-14, 7th cold game defeat. However, Korea won the WBC’s best ever record, runner-up in this tournament. 6 wins and 3 losses.

Since then, Kim Gwang-hyun has not had a relationship with the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games or the 2013 WBC. He had injuries and was not in good shape. However, at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, he wore the Taegeuk mark again and led the gold medal in 5 wins.

Kim Gwang-hyun also led the 2015 Premier 12 first championship (6 wins and 2 losses). In 2017, he skipped the WBC due to taking an entire year off due to Tommy John surgery. However, he contributed to a 5-3 runner-up in the 2019 Premier 12. During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he was in the major leagues, so he failed to participate.

As Kim Gwang-hyun remembered, Korea’s performance in major international competitions he did not participate in was generally poor. The 2013 and 2017 WBC first round elimination is a typical example. The only international competition that Korea has achieved good results without Kim Kwang-hyun is the gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.

Kim Gwang-hyun will wear the Taegeuk mark again after 4 years at the 2023 WBC, which will be held in March. In the case of the WBC, it has been 14 years since the 2009 tournament. There are 15 pitchers, and there are a lot of starting pitchers. Since there is a limit on the number of pitches, there is no burden on individual inning digestion.

Even so, it needs a pitcher to hold the center. Of course, Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA) will take on that role. It is true that a national ace outstanding enough to be called ‘Gwang Hyeon-jong again’ has not appeared for more than 10 years. However, it is also true that Kim Gwang-Hyun returned to the KBO League after 3 years and still showed the highest level of power in the league.

During his two years in the 스포츠토토 major leagues, he completely shed his dependence on his fastball + slider and improved his changeup and curveball to become a complete four-pitch pitcher. This WBC is a stage where Kim Gwang-hyun’s evolution can be objectively verified. Korean baseball also expects Kim Gwang-hyun to continue his pleasant jinx in this WBC.

Kim Gwang-hyun (SSG) sometimes laughed and said this when he met reporters in the dugout during the 2022 season. Although the season was in full swing, the 2023 WBC story was a regular topic of conversation on the field. For Kim Gwang-hyeon, international competitions were always full of good memories. Looking at the tournament log, it really…