Veteran pitcher eager to learn from younger teammates at WBC

TUCSON, United States, Feb. 14 (Yonhap) -- Young pitchers on the South Korean national team for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) have said they grew up admiring Yang Hyeon-jong, the MVP-winning left-hander for the Kia Tigers and now captain of the national team pitching staff.

Yang, who will be 35 by the start of the big tournament in March, may be in the position to lead, but Yang said Tuesday he also wants to learn from his younger teammates.

"These young guys are fearless on the mount. I want to learn everything from them," Yang said at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, where he'd been training with the Tigers since Feb. 1. He will join the national team, which will also set up camp at Kino, on Wednesday.

"We have some great young left-handers on the team. When they tire down the stretch and lose some zip on their pitches, then that's when I want to step in and share my experience with them."

Yang was referring to Koo Chang-mo of the NC Dinos, 25, and Kim Yun-sik of the LG Twins, 22. They are two of the best young left-handers in the KBO today with a bright future ahead.

The youngest pitcher for South Korea is Lee Eui-lee, a 20-year-old southpaw teammate of Yang's on the Tigers already with two KBO seasons under his belt. The hard-throwing starter has 254 strikeouts in 248 2/3 innings so far in the KBO.

"I think Eui-lee is really fired up about the WBC," Yang said. "I just hope he doesn't push himself too hard. He often deals with nagging injuries like cracked nails or blisters. If he suffers any injury in a short tournament like this, it will be a huge minus for the team."

Yang has been a workhorse starter in the KBO for well over a decade, but he will be asked to pitch in relief at the WBC. Pitch count limits will apply to each round at the WBC, and starters are unlikely to go past the fifth or sixth inning in the early stages. That puts a premium on strong relief pitching, and someone like Yang, who has relief experience and can eat up multiple innings out of the pen, can be useful.

"I was already told back in December that there was a chance I could pitch in middle relief. So I've been preparing accordingly," said Yang, who threw 41 pitches in the bullpen earlier Tuesday and has thrown three bullpen sessions. "When I return to the Tigers after the WBC, I will have to ramp up my workload. But now, this tournament is more important."

Yang said he wants to extend his streak of at least 170 innings pitched to nine seasons in the KBO this year, and he doesn't want to use the WBC as a crutch if he struggles during the 2023 season.

"As I get older, it takes me a bit longer to recover, but that just means I will have to work harder," Yang said. "It's going to be a battle against myself, and I don't want to settle for anything less than a full effort."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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