"I saw your fingers first"...'AG out→APBC in' uncomfortable companionship? Commander chuckles, expects new lefty ace to grow
"We started with the fingers."
The Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) team, led by manager Ryu Jung-il, held its first training session at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on June 6.
The tournament is open to players aged 24 or younger (born after Jan. 1, 1999) or within their third year of playing (born after 2021), with up to three players aged 29 or younger (born after Jan. 1, 1994) as wild cards. Twelve pitchers, three catchers, six infielders, and five outfielders were selected.
The team will hold training and scrimmages at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu from June 6 to 13. Of the final 26 players, LG's Jung Woo-young, Moon Bo-kyung, KT's Park Young-hyun, and injured KT's Kang Baek-ho were excluded from the first training session, while NC's Kim Young-kyu, Kim Hyung-joon, and Kim Joo-won, who played nine games in the playoffs, will join the team on July 7. For those who were not called up, the decision to add or replace them will be made based on the upcoming postseason schedule.
Instead, pitchers Cho Byung-hyun (SSG), Lee Byung-heon (Doosan), Kim Tae-kyung (Commerce), catcher Heo In-seo (Commerce), and infielders Han Tae-yang (Commerce), Na Seung-yup (Lotte), and Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha), who were included in the 20-man reserve roster, joined the camp in Daegu.
One of the most talked-about players on the roster was Lee Yi-ri (KIA). The first pick in the 2021 rookie draft, Lee went 4-5 with a 3.61 ERA in 19 games in his first year with KIA, and quickly followed that up with 10 wins the following year. This season, he showed even more improvement, going 11-7 with a 3.96 ERA in 28 games.
Lee was included in the final roster for the last Asian Games in Hangzhou, but was pulled out just before the call-up. A blister on his finger was the reason.
After being sidelined with a blister on his finger since September 9 against the LG Twins, Lee returned on September 21 against Hanwha. Pitching under Ryu's watchful eye, Lee struggled, giving up five runs (four earned) in 1 1/3 innings. In the end, Ryu decided that Lee was not at his best because his injuries were not fully healed and included outfielder Yoon Dong-hee in the roster instead.
After being dropped from the roster, Lee made his first appearance against the NC on September 27, proving that he was healthy by pitching seven scoreless innings. It was speculated that Lee was left out to strengthen the outfield. 보스토토
Ryu was aware of the controversy. In an interview with reporters ahead of the team's training session on June 6, Ryu said he "saw the finger first" when asked about Lee.
"We saw the blister as a progression," he said. He's one of the top ace players in Korea, and we thought he could throw 70 to 80 pitches with that finger. We gathered (opinions) and thought it would be difficult," he recalled.
"It's unfortunate, but he's young, and there's another 2026, so I hope he can grow up and become a representative lefty," Lu said, adding, "After that, he threw so well. I feel bad for him, but I hope he grows up and becomes the best player."