Taiwan Wins Premier 12 and No. 1 Japan in the World are busy..."Frog in the Well." What's Korea doing? I don't have any plans for this year's warm-up
Taiwan Wins Premier 12 and No. 1 Japan in the World are busy..."Frog in the Well." What's Korea doing? I don't have any plans for this year's warm-up
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Recently, Korean baseball has lost competitiveness in international competitions. Starting with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the team has suffered from numerous disasters. Some say that it is not a disaster but a "skill" now. If the team's skills decline, it is natural that the team should make more efforts. However, the team lacks preparation for international competitions compared to its neighboring countries Taiwan and Japan, which have outperformed Korea.안전놀이터
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Korean baseball was at its peak. Starting with the third place in the World Baseball Classic in 2006, he won the title at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the runner-up at the WBC in 2009, he performed well in various international competitions. Starting with Ryu, talented players burst out concurrently, displaying stellar performance in various fields.
The last four years have been a series of catastrophes. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, South Korea was aiming for the gold medal, but lost to the U.S. 2-7 in the semifinals, failing to reach the final. In the ensuing bronze medal match, the team suffered a come-from-behind 6-10 defeat in the eighth inning alone, giving up five goals. The 2023 WBC began the tournament with a shocking 7-8 defeat against Australia. It lost to the "maturity rival" Japan by a landslide, 4-13, ultimately failing to advance to the preliminary round. In the Premier 12, the team lost to Taiwan, which was considered a step down, and failed to reach the targeted super round.
It contrasts with the growth of Japan and Taiwan.
Once a powerhouse, Japan is now on par with the U.S. Major League Baseball. It has produced a number of players who dominate the Major League including Shohei Ohtani, and has displayed stellar performances in international competitions as well. It has been ranked No. 1 in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) rankings since 2018.
Taiwan won the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 championship, making a leap from a global baseball frontier to the center. It advanced to the Super Round with four wins and one loss in the group stage, finishing second to Japan, and clashed with Japan in the final. Everyone expected Japan to win, which had been undefeated in the tournament, but Taiwan sank the huge ship, 4-0. It was also Taiwan's first international championship.
Taiwan and Japan have already started preparations for the 2026 WBC. The Taiwanese national team had warm-up matches with the Lotte Giants on Saturday and Sunday. To continue its momentum to win the Premier 12, the Taiwanese team sent out a large number of winners along with extensive publicity. Lotte also made fierce efforts, but the Taiwanese team won 4-3, 7-3.
Japan will also play an exhibition match with the Dutch national team on March 5-6. The team will play its warm-up matches with the strongest capability that it can afford, including Hiroya Miyagi and Tatsuya Imai. Above all, Japan is committed to dispel the humiliation of the Premier 12. "The Premier 12 final felt like asking the players to come back. But I was wrong," Hirokazu Ibata said in January, expressing his commitment for the 2026 WBC. "I needed to work harder. I felt anew that I have to win at the end." He added, "I have a scenario in which young players will compete with players who have shown good performance in previous WBC events."
Korea, on the other hand, is muted. There is no significant movement. He is moving towards 2026 WBC, but no full-fledged movement has been found. "I think we need to make a warm-up match before the WBC because I think it is necessary," a KBO official told My Daily over the phone. "There is nothing I can say at this point that I am doing anything."
The KBO announced the "Team Korea Levelling Up Project" in July 2023. According to the project, the KBO said, "In order to strengthen the competitiveness of Korean baseball, we will 1) improve the national team's capabilities 2) improve the game system 3) foster promising players and leaders 4) expand the base of baseball." As a detailed plan, the KBO said it will run a full-time supervisory system that can consistently lead the national team through 2026 WBC and steadily convene the national team to increase its international competitiveness through continuous warm-up matches.
2024 was a glimpse of KBO's efforts. Team Korea had warm-up matches with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres ahead of the 2024 Seoul Series. It also invited the Cuban national team to play two warm-up matches prior to the Premier 12.
However, there is no clear plan for 2025. "We also invited overseas teams to the 2024 Ulsan-KBO Fall League," a KBO official said. "We plan to invite overseas teams this year as well," adding, "There is nothing I can tell you right now about (the national team's) international exchange and warm-up matches."
There is only one year left until the 2026 WBC. Taiwan and Japan are busy, but Korea remains the same. The Australian national team, which cannot be belittled any more, will also hold three consecutive practice games against the Hanwha Eagles from July 14 to 16. Coach Ryu Joong-il also stressed that whether he hosts an international competition or if he participates in an international competition, he will have to engage in more exchanges and games with many foreign players. Without detailed and clear preparations, the "reality" of "disaster" will be repeated.
The KBO parted ways with Ryu Joong-il and appointed a new coach, Ryu Ji-hyun. Ryu led the national team until 2026 WBC and began his career in February. Changing coaches does not always mean changing the team. If you really want to turn the tables on 2026 WBC, you need to act quickly. We don't have much time.