“You guys made so many fielding mistakes.”
Ryu Joong-il, the head coach of the Hangzhou Asian Games baseball team, stood on the field during a defensive drill at the Gocheok Sky Dome and coached his players, especially the shortstops, who were the target of intense scrutiny. Park Sung-sung (SSG) and Kim Joo-won (NC), the national team’s shortstops, stood right behind Ryu and watched every single defensive move.
Ryu was the starting shortstop for the Samsung Lions during his playing days. When it came to defense, he was sharp and didn’t leave any gaps. Of course, it’s not every day that a national team manager stands on the field for an entire fielding session and watches the defense in person.
It was clear that Ryu had a special affection for the national team’s shortstops and a desire to teach them at least one more area of expertise that he was most confident in.
During the first training session after the national team was called up, Ryu asked the infielders, including Park Sung-haeng and Kim Joo-won, how many fielding errors they had made. “The coach asked me how many errors I made, and coincidentally, the national team was ranked first, second, third, and fourth in the league in errors. I was actually embarrassed,” he laughed sheepishly.
As of the 26th, Kim Joo-won leads the league in errors (28), Moon Bo-kyung is second (20), Park Sung-seong is third (19), and Noh Si-hwan and Lee Jae-hyun are fourth (18). It’s clear that shortstop and third base are the most error-prone positions, but the number of errors is high.
Park said, “The coach has had a great career. I think everything he says is right, and I’m trying to learn as much as I can,” Park said with gratitude.스포츠토토
The shortstops, in particular, are the ones who will have to anchor the defensive centerline on the main stage of the Asian Games. “I hope that through this tournament, I will be able to grow as a player to represent my country in the future,” Ryu said.