Koo Chang-mo (26, NC Dinos) seemed not to be discouraged at all while thinking of a major league (MLB) superstar. Hope is also shining on the mound of the national team.
At a recent New Year’s press conference held at Changwon NC Park, Chang-mo Koo picked Ohtani Shohei (29, LA Angels) as the player he wants to face in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which opens in March.
Koo Chang-mo, who said, “I really want to see Ohtani,” gave an ambitious answer, “Isn’t a man a straight ball?” to the question of what to throw. At the same time, he continued to acknowledge his opponent, saying, “He is the best player as a pitcher and hitter, so I look forward to it more.”
In the meantime, when meeting Japan in international competitions, left-handed pitchers always shined. In the past, Lee Seon-hee (68) and Koo Dae-seong (53) were active as Japanese killers, and Kim Gwang-hyeon (35, SSG) of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Also, in the 2009 WBC, Bong Joong-geun (43) played well against Japan and led the team to the final.
In this WBC, Japan will come out with the strongest power ever. Including Ohtani, who won the American League MVP in 2021, big leaguers such as Yu Darvish (37, San Diego), Seiya Suzuki (29, Chicago Cubs), and Lars Nutba (26, St. Louis) were lined up.메이저사이트 It is all-out power to reproduce the glory of consecutive victories in 2006 and 2009.
In particular, it is more important than ever to catch Ohtani, who will play a central role in both pitching and hitting. In that respect, it is inevitable to welcome the spirit of Gu Chang-mo, who will confidently continue to pitch even if he meets Ohtani.
For Koo Chang-mo, this WBC is the second international tournament after his professional debut. Earlier, he went to the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) in 2017. Koo Chang-mo took the mound with a 4-1 lead at the end of the 6th inning in the first match against Japan, but allowed a hit and a two-run home run in a row after three pitches. In the end, Korea lost 7-8 after 10 overtime matches.
Recalling the memory of that time, Gu Chang-mo said, “Unfortunately, it was (the same) Tokyo Dome, and the opponent was also Japan.” At the same time, he said, “I think I am different then and now.”
As he said, the position of Gu Chang-mo has completely changed in the past six years. Even in 2017, he had not been able to get off the label as a promising player, but in 2019 season, he went 10-7 with an average ERA of 3.20 in 23 games and started to play in earnest. In 2020, he recorded an average ERA of 1.74 with 9 wins, no losses and 1 hold, and even last year, when he returned after taking a year and a half off due to injury, he went 11 wins and 5 losses with an ERA of 2.10.
In the midst of this activity, Gu Chang-mo signed an extension contract with NC for up to 7 years and 13.2 billion won in December of last year. Now he has been reborn as a player representing his team.
Gu Chang-mo, who has been suffering from injuries for a long time since mid-2020, will confidently compete in the WBC. He confessed, “I feel burdened because I do not play baseball in March.” He said, “I wonder if I can overcome it if I prepare well.”