Carelessness is Forbidden... Ground Ball Induction Lights Up the Path to the Quarterfinals

WBC National Team to Play First Game Against Australia Tomorrow at Noon
Starting Pitcher Go Young-pyo, Ground Ball Pitchers Ready in Bullpen
Beware of Whitefield's Speed and Hall's Long Hits

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is back. Launched in 2006 and held every four years since 2009, it is a baseball festival. Due to the spread of COVID-19, the 2021 tournament was not held, making this the first event in six years. The national team, led by manager Lee Kang-chul, will compete in Group B in the first round alongside Japan, Australia, China, and the Czech Republic. To advance to the quarterfinals, they need to finish in the top one or two positions.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The first opponent is Australia. The match will take place at noon on the 9th at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Since China and the Czech Republic are relatively weaker teams, this is effectively the biggest hurdle to reaching the quarterfinals. Even if they lose to Japan on the 10th, they can still qualify for the tournament as the second place in the group.

The national team holds an advantage in head-to-head records against Australia. After suffering three consecutive losses from the 2000 Sydney Olympics qualifiers to the 2007 Taiwan Baseball World Cup, they recorded eight consecutive wins. In the 2013 WBC first round, they won 6-0, and in the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 qualifiers, they also secured a decisive 5-0 victory. This time, two active Major League players and representatives from the KBO League are all participating, giving them an edge. Australia has only two players with Major League experience: outfielder Aaron Whitefield (Los Angeles Angels, Melbourne) and Warwick Saupold, who played in the KBO League under the name Warwick Saupold. Most players are from their domestic league (ABL), with a few prospects from the U.S. minor leagues added.

Australia suffered a heavy 3-15 defeat on the 6th in a friendly match against Japan’s corporate team JR Kyushu at Ivy Stadium in Miyazaki Prefecture. However, manager Lee warned against optimism, saying, "Baseball is unpredictable." He added, "We will approach the game as if facing an absolute powerhouse." As he said, complacency is forbidden. The national team lost their opening games in the last two WBCs and were eliminated in the preliminaries. In the 2013 tournament, they lost 0-5 to the Netherlands and, despite a 2-1 record, were edged out on run differential. In the 2017 tournament, they lost 1-2 to Israel, finishing with a 1-2 record.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Manager Lee traveled to Australia with analysts to assess their strength. During team training, videos of Australian games were played indoors, such as in dining areas, for the players to watch. Team captain Kim Hyun-soo said, "We have watched so many videos of Australian players that we are very familiar with them."

Australia’s manager Dave Wilson selected Jack O'Loughlin as the starting pitcher against Korea. The 23-year-old is a tall (196 cm) left-handed pitcher. He plays in the minor leagues for the Detroit Tigers. His minor league career record is 9 wins, 8 losses, with an ERA of 3.99. Last winter, he appeared in seven games for the ABL Adelaide Giants, posting a 3.27 ERA without a decision. Warwick Saupold, initially considered for the starting role, will be on standby in the bullpen.

In the batting lineup, Whitefield’s speed stands out as a threat. Although he struggled last season in the ABL, he played in four Major League spring training games this season, recording 3 hits in 9 at-bats and 2 stolen bases. In the middle of the lineup, Alex Hall (Perth) is a power hitter to watch out for. An offensive catcher, he led the ABL last season in batting average (.360) over 38 games and tied for 5th in home runs with 8.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

To minimize the impact of the opponent’s powerful hitters, manager Lee gathered many pitchers skilled at inducing ground balls. These include Jung Woo-young (LG Twins), Ko Young-pyo, So Hyeong-jun (both kt), Park Se-ung, Kim Won-joong (both Lotte Giants), and Lee Yong-chan (NC Dinos). With shortstop Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres) and second baseman Tommy Hyun-soo Edmond (St. Louis Cardinals) forming the keystone combination, the team can confidently throw breaking balls.

Starting pitcher Ko Young-pyo (kt) is also a ground ball pitcher. He uses a two-seam fastball with significant movement, mixed with a curveball and changeup to face batters. Last season, he recorded 13 wins, 8 losses, and a 3.26 ERA, the most wins of his career. The key was his ability to induce ground balls easily. Among pitchers who pitched the required innings (144 innings), he had the highest ground ball to fly ball ratio (1.86). He is perfect for facing Australian batters who are not accustomed to pitchers with excellent control and a variety of breaking balls. If he can pitch 4 to 5 innings within the first-round pitch limit of 65, the national team will be able to manage the game much more easily.