“Will Kwok Bin (24-Dusan Bears) start against Chinese Taipei?”
This was the most common question from the local media in Taiwan before the start of the 2024 WBSC Premier12.
And for good reason, given his performance in the KBO this season.
Kwak Bin has 15 wins (9 losses) in 30 KBO games this year, tied for the most wins in the league with Won Tae-in (Samsung Lions). As the winningest pitcher in the KBO, which is one step above the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), it’s natural to be wary.
Not to mention his impressive performance at last year’s APBC (Asian Professional Baseball Championship).
Kwak Bin started the final against Japan and pitched a solid five innings of one-run ball. Although the team lost the game in extra innings, Kwok Bin’s performance against the Japanese bats was enough to impress Taiwan.
Kwok took the mound in Game 1 of the K-Baseball series against Cuba. He pitched two innings of one-hit ball, one walk, two strikeouts, and no runs. It was predicted that he would be an invaluable starter for Ryu Jung-il-ho, who has been battling a starting lineup injury.
Group B, Game 2 against Cuba.
After being swept by Chinese Taipei in the first round, Cuba was a must-win for Ryu, not only to rebound, but also to stay in the group stage. However, Cuba’s card was Liban Moinello, who led the Japan Pacific League with a 1.88 ERA. It was all about how long Kwak Bin would last.
Kwak proved to be worthy of the Taegeuk Mark with a clutch performance in relief of Ryu Jung-il Ho.
After striking out the side in the top of the first, 파워볼사이트 Kwak Binh worked around a grounder to shortstop and a strikeout to start the second. Drake’s line drive to third base was picked off by Kim Do-young. In the bottom of the second inning, the Korean bats exploded for six runs to take the pressure off Kwak’s shoulders.
After giving up a leadoff single to Giebert in the top of the third, Kwak-Bin struck out Perez and Walters before giving up a single to Santos to right field. However, Kwak-Bin was able to get Major League Baseball’s Moncada to fly out to center field to end the inning.
In the top of the fourth inning, a walk and a hit put Kwak-Bin in trouble.
However, Drake induced a grounder to third base against Kim, who touched third and then fired to first for a double play to end the inning. In the fifth inning, Kwak-Bin, who looked tired after issuing back-to-back walks, handed the mound over to Choi Soon-Joon to finish the job. He threw four innings of three hits, three walks, five strikeouts and no runs, totaling 74 pitches.
Ryu Jung-il-ho has declared a generational change, and this tournament was a crucial task to determine the future of the national team. It was therefore important to check the quality of the starting pitchers. Kwak Bin, who pitched well in the APBC last year and again in the Premier12, seems to have made an early impression.
“There were several pressure situations this year. I think overcoming this pressure makes me a bigger player, so I thought, ‘Let’s accept it, enjoy it, and do everything I want to do,’ and it seems to have paid off,” he said. “From the first inning, I threw hard and excited. “Actually, I felt like I ran out of energy in the first and second innings because I felt my pitches were working well and the batters weren’t hitting well. It was my first time throwing a lot of innings this year, so my stamina was going down quickly, but I’m glad I made it to the fourth inning.”