It's a pity regardless of whether coach Ryu Ji-hyun, who thought about the failure of the WBC shock, will participate or not

Aug 07, 2025

Ryu Ji-hyun, head coach of the national baseball team. Sports Chosun DB

The national baseball team has been seriously considering whether to select the World Baseball Classic (WBC). However, Ahn Woo-jin's injury has now made his worries meaningless.

Ahn Woo-jin, who is currently serving in the military as a social service worker, is set to be released from the call-up on September 17. Initially, Ahn Woo-jin was expected to join his original team Kiwoom Heroes after the call-up was lifted and take the mound at the end of the regular season.

But an unexpected injury occurred. After completing one inning of pitching against the Blue and White team at Goyang 2nd Army Stadium on the 2nd, he fell during additional training and suffered damage to his shoulder ligament. As a result of three detailed examinations from the 2nd to the 5th, damage to the ligament of the right scapular clavicle joint was confirmed and surgical findings were found. It is a situation where rehabilitation is required for about a year after surgery.

From Ahn Woo-jin's point of view, it's a sudden attack. Personal goals such as Major League posting qualifications are bound to be twisted. If he returns to the real game in September easily, he could also seek to select his first national team. The WBC was actually an opportunity to become a major league showcase. But everything fell through.

안우진. Sports Chosun DB

Ahn Woo-jin, who has a history of school violence when he was in high school, cannot participate in an amateur competition organized by KBSA as a national team. These include the Olympics and Asian Games. However, the WBC, which is organized by the Major League Baseball Secretariat, has nothing to do with it. In particular, as WBC has recently become a feast of stars in which a large number of major leaguers participate, players' willingness to participate has increased.

The national baseball team took a cautious stance on selecting Ahn Woo-jin for the WBC. When asked about Ahn Woo-jin after taking office, Ryu Ji-hyun, who will lead the Korean national baseball team at the WBC in March next year, said, "There are thoughts of the clubs and players about Ahn Woo-jin, and the thoughts of the fans are also important. Wouldn't the conclusion come out when the overall consensus is naturally rather than the thoughts of the coach or a specific organization?"

National team coach Ryu Ji-hyun (from left), KBO president Koo Hu-yeon, former player Park Chul-soon, chairman of the committee Cho Kye-hyun. Sports Chosun DB

This means that the decision can be made on the premise that criticism will not be poured out even if the baseball community is selected due to the formation of an overall consensus in the national team, rather than unconditionally selecting them because they think they are good players. The KBO and the Power Enhancement Committee have also closely looked at Ahn Woo-jin's rehabilitation status and related public opinion.

But it all fell apart. It would have been helpful if Ahn Woo-jin, who throws a fastball close to 160km, joined the national team, but even such discussions are meaningless now.

Coach Ryu Ji-hyun left for the United States on the 6th with senior coach Kang In-kwon and a staff in charge of power analysis. This is to analyze the power of Major League and Minor League players who are likely to participate in WBC.

Director Ryu also heard the news of Ahn Woo-jin's surgery. Coach Ryu Ji-hyun, who contacted Sports Chosun before leaving the country, said, `Ahn Woo-jin is a great pitcher. Regardless of whether he participates in the national team or not, the shoulder injury is a sad news. "I hope he can recover quickly from the injury and regain his health." he said.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.