Lee Eui-ri, left-hander for the KIA Tigers, will turn 21 this year. As a 19-year-old rookie in the 2021 season, he participated as a representative of the Tokyo Olympics. And at the age of 20, he participated in the 2023 WBC competition. It is not easy to participate in two major international competitions at a young age. This is why he is expected to be the next generation Taegeuk protagonist.
At the Tokyo Olympics, I did 토토사이트 my part. He pitched 10 innings in 2 games, giving up 5 earned runs and taking one loss. He gave up five walks and his pitching faltered, but his earned run average was 4.50. However, he was powerful enough to rank first in strikeouts (18). It was his first international record at the age of 19.
He did his part against Dominica, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings. It was painful to hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning after blocking it with one run until the fourth inning. In the semifinal game against the United States, he also had a good pitch with 5 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, 9K and 2 runs in 5 innings. Although he did not win, it was a successful international stage where he was evaluated as the ace of the national team by playing 5 innings in both games.
However, the 2023 WBC competition was an ordeal. In the match against Japan held at the Tokyo Dome on the 10th, he started as a middle pitcher in the bottom of the 7th inning with 1 out, 1st and 2nd base, but collapsed with a walk (Kensuke Kondo), a walk (Shohei Otani), a wild fight, and a push walk (Masataka Yoshida). He didn’t make it to the ninth. He even threw a ball that almost hit him against Ohtani.
He even threw the power he had sucked as a middle pitcher. It was a ball that consistently exceeded 150km. The redemption was taken up to 155 km. It was his own best redemption ever. He would have been the best ball if he had the ninth ball, but he could not get a zero point. On the other hand, Japanese pitchers threw a 155 km ball that became the first pitch. For Lee Eui-ri, it was a valuable failure experience that once again realized the importance of control.
Manager Kim Jong-guk laughed, saying, “I saw him throw up to 155 km. Since it was a match against Japan and Korea, it seems like he threw hard. It’s hard to get that far if you throw as a starting pitcher. After all, a pitcher must have control.” At the same time, he said, “I’m a young player, but it’s not common that I’ve been to the Olympics and the WBC. So this year, I’m more excited than last year. I have to make a leap forward as a better pitcher.”
It was an order that he should grow into an ace using the experience of the two tournaments. Eui-ri Lee won her first 10 wins in the 2022 season based on her Olympic experience. In the 2023 season, it is expected that it will surpass more than 10 wins as a starting pitcher and now become a native ace. In the end, it is restraint. On the 19th, against the Doosan Bears, he will appear in his first exhibition game. It is a start that draws attention to whether he will grow another span through the WBC trials.