Won Tae-in and Japan are also paying attention to 'Hope to enter NPB'
Japanese media outlet "Kokokara Next" paid attention to the Samsung Lions' native ace Won Tae-in's statement of hope to enter the Japanese professional baseball league. He also praised that the nickname "Samurai Japan," which calls his country's national baseball team, influenced the player from a rival country. "The Korean national team's right-hander expressed his admiration for the Japanese Professional Baseball NPB," "Kokokara Next" reported on the 4th. "Japan's victory in the 2023 World Baseball Classic WBC and the dynamics of Japanese players, including Shohei Ohtani LA Dodgers, inspired many players at home and abroad." Won Tae-in said in a recent interview with a broadcaster, "Being the best in Korea is good, but there are many good ideas about Japanese baseball," and said he often asks questions about NPB to Oh Seung-hwan, a senior player who has experienced Japanese professional baseball. The reason why Won's interest in Japanese pro baseball increased was because he joined the WBC in March last year. Korea was in Group B of the first round of the WBC finals and played four group matches at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Won seems to have been impressed by Japanese baseball during this period. Despite its humiliating 7-8 loss in its first Group B match against Australia, Korea was left out of the first round for the third consecutive time following the 2013 and 2017 competitions. The team even suffered humiliating 4-13 defeat to rival Japan. However, he not only gained valuable experience but also maintained self-esteem among Korean pitchers. Of the four group games Korea played, he pitched in three games against Australia, Japan and China. Although his record was not good with four ⅓ innings with five hits, two walks, five strikeouts, four earned runs three earned runs and an earned run average of 6.23, he displayed tremendous fighting spirit in the game. On March 9, Korea's first game of the 2023 WBC, he gave up one strikeout and one walk in one ⅓ against Australia, and on March 10, he gave up two hits, one strikeout, one walk and one run in two innings against Japan. Korea did not have the resources to start the match against China, which was the final group match, due to poor collective condition of its pitching staff. After taking two days off from the match against Japan, Won took the mound as the starting pitcher against China, and struggled with three hits, one walk, three strikeouts and two runs in one inning. At the Hangzhou Asian Games held in October last year, Won avenged China. He pitched six innings of perfect pitching with three hits, six strikeouts, no four walks and no loss, to lead Korea to victory. Won's good pitching allowed Korea to advance to the gold medal match. "Won Tae-in is a talented right-handed starting pitcher in the KBO league. In the 2023 season, he had 17 quality starts and an ERA of 3.24 in 26 games," said Kokokara Next. "Won also took the mound in a game against Japan in the WBC. When I introduced the players, I expressed my respect for the Japanese baseball community by saying that the atmosphere in the stadium was good," he said. "I really enjoyed throwing in front of a packed crowd at Tokyo Dome and now I want to pitch at the Premier 12." After graduating from Kyungpook High School in 2019, Won Tae-yi joined the Samsung Lions as a first-round draft pick, and has grown steadily every year. Since his debut season, he has been included in the starting rotation and posted 4 wins, 8 losses, 2 holds, and 4.89 earned runs in 26 games. In the 2021 season, he stood tall as one of the leading starting pitchers in the league with 14 wins and 7 losses and a 3.06 ERA in 26 games. In the 2022 season, he also achieved double-digit wins for the second consecutive year with 10 wins and 8 losses and a 3.92 ERA in 27 games. In the 2023 season, he had seven wins and seven losses with a 3.24 ERA in 26 games, even though he did not receive support from batters. Despite his strong commitment to participate in the WBC and Asian Games, he firmly supported the Samsung mound. Won is now in an indispensable position in the national team. He is taking the mound at major international competitions with the national flag. Starting with the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Won also competed in the WBC and Asian Games last year. If he joins the Premier 12 in November this year, he will be able to experience all major international competitions. "Won Tae-in has a solid track record in Korea. That's why it's fun to try Japanese baseball. Will the 24-year-old's dream come true?" he added. Since his debut in the 2019 season, Won has been constantly filling the number of free agent FA registration days every year. As he has been listed in the first team for more than 145 days for five consecutive years, if he meets the number of FA registration days in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he can challenge himself to advance to overseas leagues through posting. Won Tae-in's FA qualification can be obtained after the end of the 2026 season. Another strength is that there is no career break as he received a special military service exemption for the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Oh Seung-hwan, who coincidentally is the best pitcher in the history of the KBO league and senior player Won Tae-in's team, has recently entered the Japanese pro baseball league. After leading Samsung to the top of the Korean Series in 2013, Oh signed a two-year contract with Hanshin Tigers to challenge NPB. Korean baseball's "stone Buddha" has become a success in Japan, too. In the 2014 season, Oh won the title with two wins, four losses, 39 saves and a 1.76 ERA in 64 games. In the 2015 season, he also won the title with two wins, three losses, 41 saves and a 2.73 ERA in 63 games, one of the best Korean players in the NPB history.