Will the KBO’s signature hitter attack the $500 million pitcher’s ball?
Japanese major leaguer Ohtani Shohei (28. LA Angels) is the WBC’s best hit card. He will participate as the Japanese national team in the 5th WBC tournament to be held in March. He is also emerging as a starting pitcher for the Korean War. Expectations are high for Lee Jung-hoo (25), who has already emerged as the best hitter in Korea.
Ohtani is unquestionably the best star in the major leagues. He is the first major leaguer to complete both regulation at bats and regulation innings. As a pitcher last year, he went 15-9 with a 2.33 earned run average and 219 strikeouts. He was ranked fourth in the American League Cy Young Award voting. As a hitter, he had a batting average of 2.7 3, 34 homers, 95 RBIs, and an OPS of .875.
Fan Graph, a sports statistics media outlet, 카지노 ranked Ohtani’s WAR at 17.4 over the past two years, ranking first in the major leagues. I mean he is the best player. His next year’s salary also rose sharply to $30 million. At the same time, it was predicted that he would be the first North American professional sports player to sign a $500 million contract.
There is a prospect that Ohtani, whom Japan is proud of, will be able to pitch as a starting pitcher in the first round against Korea at the Tokyo Dome on March 10th. The best box office card of the WBC is the Korea-Japan game. It is a scenario in which pitcher Ohtani is put into a game against an eternal rival on the international stage.
Ohtani dominated both matches against Korea in the 2015 Premier12 tournament. Again, this time, Ohtani is going to dominate Korea. Cloud spectators are expected to flock to the 46,000-seat Tokyo Dome. Japan, with the Ohtani craze at the forefront, is catching Korea and even looking to win the WBC.
If Ohtani pitches in the game against Korea, it seems likely that there will be a lot of talk. It is also of interest whether he will double as a batter as well as a starting pitcher. If so, Korea faces a two-track situation in which it has to target ‘pitcher Ohtani’ who throws 160km and also control ‘batter Ohtani’ who hit 46 homers in one season.
In particular, the confrontation between pitcher Ohtani and top hitter Lee Jung-hoo in the KBO League is thrilling. Lee Jung-hoo will advance to the major leagues through the posting system after the 2023 season. He is already projected to receive 5 years and 100 million dollars. The value can be further increased if he shows a good performance in the confrontation with Ohtani, a special pitcher in the major leagues.
The confrontation between Korean pitchers and hitter Ohtani is also interesting. If the Korean mound fails to catch Ohtani, the current best hitter in the major leagues, the chances of winning are reduced. The variable on the international stage is unfamiliarity. It is not easy for batters to properly target the pitchers they are facing for the first time. The mercenary skills of coach Lee Kang-cheol, a master of pitching, are attracting attention.
Ohtani’s start, of course, is expected and could change. It may change depending on the situation of the Japanese national team, but it is interesting not only to Korean players but also to baseball fans. When will we be able to taste such a box office card again at an international competition? Scenes that are not easily seen can lead to a continuation. So it can’t be a long-awaited match.