The 2023 season of ‘national team captain’ Kim Hye-seong, who once again led the players following the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, has come to an end.
The Korean baseball team, led by coach Ryu Joong-il, lost 3-4 to Japan in the final of the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) 2023 held at Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 19th, confirming second place.
Kim Hye-seong, who played as the first batter and second baseman, went on base twice, recording 1 hit, 1 walk, and 1 run in 3 at-bats. 토토사이트
Although he was an offensive player, he showed stability in defense and relieved the burden on pitchers.
Kim Hye-seong, who met with reporters in the mixed zone (joint coverage area) after the awards ceremony, said, “Even though I can’t get on base every at-bat, I wanted to create an opportunity as a leadoff. In a short game, blocking doesn’t mean you win, so you have to hit well and you need points, right? “That part is disappointing.
I think I will have to improve and play baseball harder in the future,” he said, expressing his thoughts after finishing the tournament.
He added, “I felt that Japan was a strong team once again, but I also felt that it was not a team that could never be defeated in a short-term match. Everyone played very well, so I think there is a high possibility that Korea’s young players will develop in the future.” .
Kim Hye-seong, who communicated with the players as captain during the Hangzhou Asian Games, also served as captain in this tournament and served as a bridge between the players and the coaching staff.
Director Ryu Joong-il mentioned Kim Hye-seong’s name every time he was interviewed and expressed his gratitude for creating a positive atmosphere for her.
Kim Hye-seong said, “I don’t know (the coach’s praise). He doesn’t say anything in front of me (laughter). Since I saw my juniors doing well, I think I just have to do well from now on.
Rather than saying that I led, my juniors followed me well for a short period of time, so I said a word. He expressed his satisfaction, saying, “I am very grateful because he listened to me and behaved well.”
While she was talking about the coaching staff and players, Kim Hye-sung did not forget to mention the prospective entry players who accompanied her national team.
Ahead of the APBC, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has even created a preliminary entry separate from the final entry in preparation for the KBO postseason schedule, injury, or replacement of players due to poor condition.
In fact, as all of the LG and KT players who played the Korean Series were replaced on the 12th, four reserve entries, including Shin Min-hyuk (NC), Jo Byeong-hyun (SSG), fielders Na Seung-yeop (Lotte), and Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha), who were training in Daegu, went to Tokyo. I got to board the plane.
Other reserve entry members, Byeong-hun Lee (Doosan), In-seo Heo (Hanwha), Tae-yang Han, and Tae-kyung Kim (Director Sang Lee) accompanied the team to the Japan schedule regardless of whether they participated in the competition or not.
The KBO’s idea was that even if he did not actually play in the game, just playing the international schedule as a member of the national team would be of great help.
Kim Hye-seong said, “I would like to say thank you very much to the players who were not included in the final entry,” adding, “I would be upset if they were not included in the entry
but I am grateful to them for helping the team while exercising without showing any signs of it.”
What did Kim Hye-seong, who visited Tokyo Dome eight months after the World Baseball Classic (WBC) last March, think, what were the differences between the WBC and APBC preparation processes? Kim Hye-seong said
It seems like the preparation process (for the WBC) was more difficult, and because (this tournament) was held not long after the season, I think everyone prepared hard.”
With the APBC schedule coming to a close, Kim Hye-seong has now finished the 2023 season. Kim Hye-seong, who looked back on the year, said, “I have been preparing for the season since November of last year, so it has been almost a year since I played the season, and I am grateful for what I can do.
If I retire later, I may not be able to do it even if I want to. For now, I will try to focus on the present. “I cherish it,” he said.
Finally, Kim Hye-seong said, “I’m sorry that the result was disappointing. I was grateful to the fans because they spent time and money to come
but I wasn’t able to repay them with good results. Nevertheless, I am grateful to the fans who supported me until the end,” and “I went through all the joys and sorrows for a year.
I think there were good things and bad things. But since there can’t be only good things, I think it will be more helpful in preparing for next year.
I have to do better, so I will work out hard during the off-season,” he pledged.