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Korea hoping domestic talent will help break recent string of WBC disappointments

Published: 06 Jan. 2026, 16:44 Updated: 06 Jan. 2026, 17:56

Korean national baseball team manger Ryu Ji-hyun poses for a photo during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at a venue in Gangnam District, southern Seoul on Dec. 17, 2025. [KIM JONG-HO]

Korea’s passion for baseball has never been stronger. Its results on the international stage, however, have lagged behind.

That gap, national team manager Ryu Ji-hyun says, will begin to close this year.

Korea’s professional baseball league last year drew a record-breaking 12 million spectators, following 10 million fans in 2024, a first in its history. Stadiums now regularly fill with young women and families, drawn by a baseball culture that has grown into a major form of entertainment.

But international success has failed to keep pace with domestic enthusiasm. Korea has suffered first-round exits at the last three World Baseball Classics (WBC), a humiliating fall from its semifinal run in 2006 and second-place finish in 2009.

The national team is hoping to turn things around at the 2026 WBC — its fourth attempt since its last taste of success.

“We owe this one to the fans,” said Ryu during a recent interview in Seoul. “They filled the stands under the blazing summer sun and in the pouring autumn rain. We want to repay that support with results. We’ll make it past the first round and push for a strong finish.”

The sixth edition of the WBC opens in March with first-round games in Japan, Puerto Rico and the United States. Korea is in Pool A, and will begin its campaign against the Czechs on March 5, followed by matches against Japan on March 7, Taiwan on March 8 and Australia on March 9. All games in the group stage will be played at Tokyo Dome.

Korean national baseball team manger Ryu Ji-hyun, center right, is seen high-fiving players during a World Baseball Classics (WBC) evaluation match against Japan at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Nov. 16, 2025. [NEWS1]

To advance to the main round, also known as the quarterfinals, Korea must finish in the top two of Pool A and then travel to the United States.

“There’s no easy opponent,” said Ryu. “Japan and Taiwan speak for themselves, but we also lost to Australia 8-7 at the last WBC. Even the Czech Republic was a tough game — we won with difficulty, 7-3. We can’t afford to take anyone lightly. We need to be fully prepared.”

Preparation is exactly what Korea is banking on this year. For the first time, the national team will open a preliminary training camp without any major league players.

The team, made up entirely of domestic league players for the initial phase, will fly to Saipan on Friday and train there until Jan. 21.

Korean national baseball team manger Ryu Ji-hyun is seen during a World Baseball Classics (WBC) evaluation match against Japan at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Nov. 16, 2025. [NEWS1]

“I personally visited all 10 KBO team managers last year to ask for their cooperation,” said Ryu. “Thankfully, everyone understood how important this WBC is. That’s how we were able to set up this camp. We’ve also scheduled practice games with various teams at our second camp in Okinawa in February.”

Korea’s analytics team will also be the largest in national team history, Ryu added, with six specialists gathering information across the globe.

“This squad represents the hopes of everyone in Korean baseball,” he said.

One of the most closely-watched names in the Saipan camp will be Ryu Hyun-jin of the Hanwha Eagles — a former MLB ace and the best left-handed pitcher in Korean baseball history. He last played for the national team at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.

Ryu Ji-hyun said he saw shades of “Korean Express” Park Chan-ho when selecting the veteran.

Baseball player Ryu Hyun-jin is seen during a match at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Nov. 1, 2011. [JOONGANG ILBO]

“There was a time when Park was finishing his career in the KBO,” said Ryu Ji-hyun. “One winter day, I saw him running alone at snow-covered Jamsil Stadium. I asked if he was crazy, and he told me, ‘American players don’t skip a single day. That’s how they keep their bodies sharp.’ That kind of commitment from a veteran really stays with you.”

“The key will be figuring out which game Ryu Hyun-jin starts,” Ryu Ji-hyun continued. “He has to pitch in the most important game.”

Several American players of Korean descent are also expected to join the team, including Riley O’Brien of the St. Louis Cardinals, a potential closer, and utility outfielder Jermaine Jones of the Detroit Tigers.

Korean national baseball team manger Ryu Ji-hyun is seen during a training session at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Nov. 14, 2025. [NEWS1]

“We’re hoping to add up to five Korean-descent players,” said Ryu Ji-hyun. “If O’Brien can close games for us, that alone will take a huge weight off our pitching. I expect them to join us before our exhibition games in Osaka right before the tournament.”

Ryu, who served as a fielding coach at the inaugural 2006 WBC and again in 2013, concluded with a sense of determination.

“The WBC brings a different kind of pressure — even the most seasoned players get nervous,” he said. “But the younger generation today doesn’t hesitate. They play their own style of baseball, without second-guessing themselves.”

“My job is to create an environment where they can thrive,” he added. “As manager, I’ll make sure we have the strongest team possible by March.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]