He is Samsung’s native ace who seized the opportunity to wash away his disappointment at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago. 안전놀이터

On the afternoon of the 4th, KBO selected and announced a list of 30 players for the 2023 WBC at the KBO Hall in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. ‘Blue blooded ace’ Won Tae-in was also registered in the 30-man entry.

Won Tae-in achieved a double-digit multiplier for two consecutive years with a 3.92 ERA of 10 wins and 8 losses in 27 games last season. He digests 165.1 innings, and his innings digesting ability is increasing year after year.

But there were definitely some downsides to him. The average ERA, which was 3.06 (2021), rose by 0.86, and the WAR, which was 4.76, also decreased to 2.52. Won Tae-in himself expressed regret about his performance last season.

Fortunately, coach Lee Kang-cheol recognized Won Tae-in’s performance and highly praised his ground ball judo ability. Won Tae-in’s ground ball induction rate last season was 46%, but he recorded a ground ball induction rate of 52.8% in the 2021 season, which was a career high.

For Won Tae-in, this WBC is an opportunity to make up for his sluggish performance at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago.

He was selected as an entry for the Korean baseball team at the last Tokyo Olympics along with teammates Kang Min-ho, Oh Jae-il, Oh Seung-hwan (above Samsung), and Park Hae-min (LG). At that time, Won Tae-in was the only 10-win pitcher in the KBO League with an average ERA of 2.54 with 10 wins and 4 losses in 15 games before the Olympics.

At the time, Kim Gyeong-moon, who was the commander of the Tokyo Olympics, had high expectations, such as dropping Won Tae-in early as the first starter. However, in the match against Israel, which was the first game of the Olympics, he was knocked out early with 3 hits (1 home run), 5 strikeouts and 2 runs in 3 innings, and he pitched in the bullpen for all 3 games after that.

The results at the Tokyo Olympics were not good with an average ERA of 8.44 without a win or loss in 4 games (1 start). His national team performance also finished fourth, finishing the Olympics without a medal. Still, the payoff is that he has accumulated experience on the international stage.

Won Tae-in had a bad start in the first half of last season due to injuries. It rebounded again in the second half and showed off the power of Samsung’s native ace. This winter, he is building his body early, such as going to the United States with kt Ko Young-pyo and Sohn Joon-jun for personal training. Attention is focusing on whether he will succeed in recovering his self-esteem in his second national team stage.