Lee Eui-ri, who overcame the pain of being eliminated from AG, is responsible for starting against Japan
Lee Eui-ri (KIA Tigers) will start against Japan in the second round of the Canxt Asian Professional Baseball Championship 2023 (APBC) group stage at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on the 17th.
Lee Eui-ri pitched in 28 games this season with 11 wins, 7 losses and 131 ⅔ innings with 156 strikeouts and a 3.96 WHIP (per-inning on-base allowance) of 1.49.
Lee Eui-ri was selected for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games baseball team in Hangzhou, China, in October. However, he was sluggish in the game against the Hanwha Eagles on September 21, when he returned, with five runs (four earned) in one ⅓, two hits, and three outs. In the end, outfielder Yoon Dong-hee (Lotte Giants) was selected as a substitute and suffered a bitter taste.
However, Lee Eui-ri pitched well against the NC Dinos on September 27th with three hits, one walk and three strikeouts without losing a point in seven innings after being eliminated from the national team. He then started three times in October, scoring four runs (four earned) in 16 innings, 13 hits, 12 four outs, 20 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.25 WHIP 1.56.
Lee Eui-ri shook off the pain of elimination during the Hangzhou Asian Games and made the APBC national team. Lee Eui-ri will start against Japan and face young Japanese players representing Japanese professional baseball.
Ryu Joong-il, head coach of the national baseball team, said in an official press conference after the match against Australia on the 16th, "The starting pitcher against Japan is an objection. It's a preliminary round, but I'll do my best," he said.
On the reason why he chose Lee Eui-ri to start against Japan, manager Ryu Joong-il said, "Lee Eui-ri is the best left-hander in Korea. Japanese hitters have a lot of left-handed hitters, he said. "If Lee Eui-ri does well, he will block it well."
The Japanese media was also interested in Lee Ui-ri, who will take the mound against Japan. I asked about the characteristics of Lee Eui-ri. Coach Ryu Joong-il said, "I don't think I should talk about it now, but the ball is fast. When control is good, the opponent can't hit the ball. "I will observe whether the ball control is good or not from the first inning," he said.
For Japan, Chihiro Sumida (Seibu Lions) will start. Sumida took the mound in 22 games this season, recording 9 wins, 10 losses and an ERA of 3.44. He also made two complete throws.
When asked about Smida, manager Ryu Joong-il said, "I only saw Australia before the game," adding, "I will watch the pitching video before the game today or tomorrow."