The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has excluded LG Twins and KT Wiz players who are playing in the Korean Series from the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) roster.
“The Power Enhancement Committee and the coaching staff, including manager Ryu Joong-il, decided to replace all players from LG and KT who are participating in the Korean Series and select players who have shown the best form from the preliminary roster who have been training together at the Samsung Lions Park camp in Daegu,” the KBO said on Wednesday.
LG pitcher Jung Woo-young, infielder Moon Bo-kyung, KT pitcher Park Young-hyun and injured KT left-handed hitter Kang Baek-ho will not participate in the APBC.
Pitchers Shin Min-hyuk (NC Dinos) and Cho Byung-hyun (SSG Landers), and outfielders Na Seung-yeop (Lotte Giants) and Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha Eagles) will play in the APBC instead.
The KBO explained, “We comprehensively judged the players’ physical condition, performance, and physical condition.”
The 2023 APBC, which kicks off on June 16 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, will feature baseball prospects from four countries – South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia.
Players who are 24 years old or younger (born on or after January 1, 1999) or in their third year with a professional league club (born after 2021) are eligible to compete, along with three wildcards who are 29 years old or younger (born on or after January 1, 1994).
The APBC Korea Team includes members of the Hangzhou Asian Games gold medal team, including Moon Dong-joo and Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha), Yoon Dong-hee (Lotte), Won Tae-in (Samsung Lions), Kwak Bin (Doosan Bears), Kim Hye-sung (Kiwoom Heroes), and Kim Joo-won and Kim Hyung-joon (NC).
Coaches Ryu Ji-hyun, Choi Il-un, Jang Jong-hoon and Kim Dong-soo, who helped Korea win its fourth consecutive gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, will share the dugout with Ryu Jung-il at the APBC. They are joined by Lotte pitching coach Kim Hyun-wook and Samsung hitting coach Lee Jin-young.
Korea will face Australia on Sept. 16, Japan on Sept. 17 and Chinese Taipei on Sept. 18, and if they finish in the top two, they will play the final on Sept. 19. 슬롯게이밍