There was not a single batter who used the typical Japanese style ax hitting method.”
These are former manager Lee Man-soo’s thoughts after finishing the game against Japan.
Laos, where former coach Lee Man-soo is in charge of the coaching staff, suffered a cold game loss in the 5th inning, 0-18, in the Group A match against Japan held at the 2nd baseball stadium of the Shaoxing Baseball-Softball Center in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China, on the 2nd. The team was down 0-9 until the 3rd inning and tried to keep the game going for more than 6 innings due to adverse conditions, including not having the full number of players and injured players. However, they could not hold on any longer as they lost 9 points in the 4th inning alone. The gap widened beyond 15 points, which is the requirement for a cold game in the 5th inning.
Still, there was income. The Korean power analysis team was also watching the game, but former coach Lee Man-soo also shared what he saw and felt from the dugout on social media.
Former coach Lee Man-soo said, “When I looked at Japan’s pre-game training, there wasn’t a single hitter using the typical Japanese style of the past. Of course, a lot of time has passed, but now many hitters hit in the American style. The standing posture is the old Japanese style. “There is still a little bit left. Even if they are standing like that, all players are making level swings and slightly overturned swings,” he wrote.
He said, “As a simple example, there used to be a lot of ground balls, but in today’s game (the 2nd), there were more line drives and more deep fly balls. There used to be a lot of double plays, but there were fewer, and instead, a lot of runs were scored when runners got on base. Hits “Japan scored a whopping 18 points out of 10. What this means is that there were a lot of long hits when runners went out,” he added.
In the end, it was a bitter remark directed at the Korean baseball world, which cries out for ‘international competitiveness in mere words.’ Former coach Lee Man-soo argued, “If both our country’s amateur baseball and professional baseball do not change, it will be difficult to catch up with them for several decades. The leaders on the field must first change.”안전놀이터
He also said, “We must not forget that if we continue to teach young players with old ideas, they will continue to regress. From now on, we must all make a sharp awakening and start again. Only then can Korean baseball stand proudly on par with the world’s players.” “I can compete and play on equal footing with them,” he said.
Former coach Lee Man-soo said that Korea must look at reality, saying that Korea is no longer on par with Japan. He said, “Until 10 years ago, our country’s baseball game was on par with Japan. Now, 10 years later, no one can deny that it is not an equal game, but a huge difference. Now, open your eyes wide and know the trend of the world. “I have to play baseball,” he pointed out.
The match against Taiwan on the 2nd ended with Korea losing 0-4. Taiwan gave strength from the starting lineup. Lin Yu-min, a Double A prospect under the Arizona Diamondbacks, was selected as the starter, and all fielders from the U.S. minor league and Japanese professional baseball were selected as starters. Korea, which restricted its own power due to age and seniority restrictions, failed to score a single point and recorded a disgraceful record of 3 consecutive losses against Taiwan and 23 consecutive scoreless innings.
Meanwhile, Korea finished Group B with the match against Thailand on the 3rd. Korea, which advanced to the Super Round as 2nd place in Group B, takes a day off on the 4th and then meets the top two teams in Group A on the 5th and 6th to determine a spot in the medal match.
Although the loss against Taiwan is painful, the door to advancing to the finals is still open. The situation became a little more favorable as China pulled off a major upset by defeating Japan. In the Super Round, they face Japan on the 5th and China on the 6th.