Kwak Bin (24, Doosan), who was on the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team, used up all the official ball provided by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) within two days of the spring camp. 스포츠토토
Kwak Bin, who is digesting spring camp at the Blacktown International Baseball Center (Blacktown Stadium) in Australia, made his first bullpen pitch on the 2nd (Korean time). He spent his inactive period faithfully enough that his highest speed was measured to 146 km. He said, “(During the inactive period) I pitched three or four times. He didn’t set a set number, he threw until he liked it,” he said. Even if he doesn’t hit, the ball thrown by the pitcher is consumed by itself. In addition to flying into the catcher’s mitt with a strong rotation, deformation may occur because the seams are strongly caught at the moment of release.
When pitching in the bullpen for a long time, he often replaces it with a new ball to keep his fingertips in check. Unfamiliar WBC official balls are inevitably replaced frequently with new ones. In particular, a pitcher who overwhelms batters with pitches like Kwak Bin can become one-bound if his balance is disturbed. Because it hits the ground hard, the ball surface is scratched. It is meaningless to throw a deformed ball like a so-called spitball. He pitched from the bullpen for the first time two days into camp, and it made sense that he only had about one pitch left.
It means that the determination to face the WBC is different. He said, “I want to learn everything I can because it is a tournament where the best players in the world participate. (Jeong) Cheol-won is not the type to look for major league stars, so he will be less burdened, but I know a lot of players. He has a desire to throw well,” he said. At the same time, he said, “I also think that it would be better for him to throw it before Japan. He laughed, saying, “The fight against Japan is less psychologically burdensome than being battered in a fight against China or the Czech Republic.”
Although he humbled himself, he did not hide his strong fighting spirit. He said, “I want to take a picture with Shohei Ohtani, but I also want to play against him,” and drew a big picture, saying, “If Cheorwon and I do well in the WBC, the image of Doosan will improve.”
Kwak Bin, who alternately displayed humility and motivation, shyness and confidence, said, “I took the MBTI four times, and I got E (extroverted) and I (introverted) twice.” It is interpreted as meaning that it responds flexibly to the environment. He said, “As each day passes, the pressure on the WBC increases,” but he expressed his aspirations, saying, “I want to help Korean baseball develop a lot.”
Even though he has to aim for the first 10 wins in his career as a full-time starter, he lowered his stance, saying, “I just want to grow a little more than last year (8-9, average ERA of 3.78) rather than targeting numbers.” Despite concerns that physical strength could be burdened because of having to play early, “The pace rose in August and September every year and was maintained until the end of the season. So the physical burden is not great,” he said. Since he started early, he seemed to be expecting the pace to pick up in June or July.
The characteristic of Gwak Bin, who crosses the border between E and I, is paradoxically a factor that is expected to be active this year. He seems highly likely to be upgraded from ‘Doosan’s Young Gun’ to ‘National Young Gun’.