“It is our mission and goal to make the people happy”
Kim Won-joong was named on the 30-man list of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) announced on the 4th. Coach Kang-Cheol Lee, conscious of Australia in the first game of this tournament, joined a large number of pitchers who use large-angled curveballs and forkballs as their main weapons. Kim Won-jung, who usually uses curve and forkball as a winning shot, naturally joined the national team.
Kim Won-joong started his professional life wearing a Lotte Giants uniform with the 5th overall in the 1st round of the 2012 rookie draft, and stepped on the first team stage in 2015. Kim Won-joong gained experience as a starting pitcher in the early days of his joining. However, from the 2019 season, he switched to a bullpen pitcher, and has been responsible for Lotte’s back door for the last three consecutive years.
Kim Won-joong, who was selected as the national team member, is working hard to prepare for the season and competitions like any other player. Kim Won-joong, who contacted ‘My Daily’, said, “I am focusing on building my body through exercise these days. There is nothing much different from the process of preparing for the usual season. However, I am trying to prepare a little faster and perfectly.” told
As can be seen from the nomination order, Kim Won-joong has been one of the best prospects since his amateur days. However, during his high school days and even after he stepped on the professional stage, he seldom came into contact with the national team. How do you feel about being chosen as the first national representative? He smiled, saying, 스포츠토토 “It felt good to be recognized. He seems to have been a favorite of his parents.”
Kim Won-joong is a pitcher who stands out more as a bullpen pitcher than when he played as a starter. In 73 games as a starter, Kim Won-joong recorded 19 wins and 25 losses with an ERA of 6.44. But since he moved to the bullpen, he has gone 12-12 with 4 holds and 76 saves with a 3.88 ERA in 189 games. When Kim Won-joong’s condition is good, he is truly impregnable.
Kim Won-joong said, “Actually, I don’t feel like I’ve been selected as a national representative yet,” but “I’m so happy to be able to go to an honorable place. Maybe if I get to the mound, I think there’s a high possibility that I’ll go out in the middle or in a situation where there are runners on the mound.” “There is no game that is not important. You have to win every game, so it gives you a lot of responsibility.”
Good pitching and performance in the tournament are of course important. But the thing to be most wary of is injuries. Kim Won-joong was injured while preparing for the season last year and was unable to join the opening match. Kim Won-jung returned to the mound in May, but at the beginning of his return, he could not show off his skills. He emphasized, “Actually, he doesn’t want to think about injuries. He doesn’t think about things that won’t happen. He is concentrating on preparing while taking good care of his body.”
Kim Won-joong’s goal is the highest he can climb. He said, “I want to go as high as possible. I think other players do the same,” he said. It is our mission and goal,” he said with great strength.