Ryan Sadoski, who wore a Lotte Giants uniform for three seasons from 2010 to 2012 and played an active part in the KBO League, sent a word-of-mouth message expressing his earnest desire for the development of Korean baseball.
The Korean national team, led by coach Lee Kang-cheol, lost 7-8 to Australia in the first round of Group B in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) competition and lost 3-14 to Japan in the second game. They defeated the Czech Republic and China, but in the end, the tickets to the quarterfinals belonged to Japan and Australia.
Korea experienced the bitter taste of being eliminated from the group stage three times in a row following the 2013 and 2017 tournaments. Because of this, the Korean national team players, including coach Lee Kang-cheol, were criticized by public opinion. The voice that ‘Korean baseball needs change’ continues. Among them, Sado Ski conveyed his feelings of support based on his relationship with Korean baseball.
The following is the full text of Sadoski’s writing, which contains the desire for change in Korean baseball.
After disappointing results at the 2023 WBC tournament, Korean baseball is at a crossroads. Decisions that have had disastrous consequences over the past decade often happen in life as well. These decisions have occurred in sports over the past 100 years.
The question that must be answered here is, “Will these results make a difference?” I hope that the recent slump in international competitions will become a catalyst for Korean baseball to grow one step further and bring about positive changes.
I set up a company called “Baseball International Group of Scouts” and are doing scouting work there, and I am currently providing information to CPBL (Taiwan), NPB (Japan), and MLB (USA) teams. Although I do not currently work with the KBO team, I have a love for Korean baseball and the KBO league is always in my heart. That’s why it’s sad to see the Korean national team go down the road of failure at the 2021 Olympics and the 2023 WBC tournament. 먹튀검증
The 2008 Olympics marked the peak of Korean baseball. The national team continued to perform at a high level until the 2013 WBC tournament. However, in the 2013 WBC tournament, they lost to the growing Dutch national team in a disappointing performance. That tournament is the point at which the Korean national team’s lack of power analysis was revealed.
After the 2013 WBC defeat against the Netherlands, South Korea continued to perform below expectations, but not to the extent of disappointing as the 2021 Olympics and 2023 WBC competitions. The improvement plans proposed by baseball fans and experts seemed short-sighted. This plan lacks the long-term vision essential for the KBO League to lead in future international competitions.
Over the past 10 years, Korea has discovered outstanding star players through the KBO League. A player like Kim Ha-sung proved that he could work at the major league level. The KBO also has a lot of great players. Like Yang Eui-ji and Choi Jeong, he has never played in the major leagues, but he has enough talent and ability to succeed there. And, there are several young and talented players who will get a chance to play at the major league level in the future.