Why were the two 35-year-old LG veterans awkwardly selected for the young national team? The huge meaning hidden in it

Oct 14, 2025

Sportschosun DB

"I need to run in Tokyo Dome."

The Korean national baseball team is in the process of generational change. Now, Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG), Yang Hyun-jong (KIA), Yang Eui-ji (Doosan), and Kang Min-ho (Samsung) are unlikely to play in national team uniforms. It has already announced a reorganization into a team focused on young players in the Premier 12 last year.

The same is true of the 6th World Baseball Classic (WBC), which will be held in March next year. Good overseas players such as Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco), Kim Ha-sung (Atlanta), and Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers) are taking the center stage as middle and old players. On top of that, young stars who are playing well in the KBO League, such as Kim Do-young (KIA) and Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha), are combined together.

Even so, you can't go without veterans at all. Any team needs a strong 'the eldest' that will center the team with either performance or leadership.

Therefore, it is notable that LG veterans Park Hae-min and Park Dong-won were selected in the national team call-up ahead of the Czech Republic and Japan warm-up matches.

Coach Ryu Ji-hyun of the national team announced 35 entries to play in two consecutive home games against the Czech Republic and two away games against Japan in November, mostly filled with young players who have made remarkable performances this season. Meanwhile, veteran players Park Hae-min and Park Dong-won (LG), Koo Ja-wook (Samsung), and Choi Jae-hoon (Hanwha) were also listed.

Sportschosun DB

First of all, Koo Ja-wook is still in his early 30s as a player with a league MVP grade, so even if it is possible, the selection of Park Hae-min and Park Dong-won, who were born in 1990, the same age as 35 years old, may be a little unexpected. It's not that the two of them can't do it, but they're not players at a level that needs to show something in the warm-up match, and LG has gone straight to the Korean Series, so the schedule for the warm-up match that will be held immediately can be burdensome. In fact, manager Ryu excluded a large number of the top-ranked team's main pitchers from the call-up. The following actual schedule is based on the judgment that it could be too much.

Then, why did manager Ryu select these two veteran players. It meant a lot.

"Unlike pitchers, fielders don't have a big problem even if they play a few more games," Ryu said. In the case of Park Hae-min, he does not have much experience as a national team player. So I thought it would be good to experience Tokyo Dome. strategic judgment.' Park Hae-min has experience in the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, the Tokyo Olympics, and the 5th WBC. However, most of them were backup roles, not main players. And coach Ryu judged that he didn't have much experience playing at Tokyo Dome. As next year's WBC will be held at Tokyo Dome, we hope Park Hae-min will adapt to the local environment. This means that coach Ryu thinks Park Hae-min is an important player in next year's WBC. Even at an old age, center field defense is still the top of the league, and he is the most useful player when the operation is needed. It is a necessary type in the short term.

Sportschosun DB

As for Park Dong-won, manager Ryu said, `Park Dong-won needs to work with the young pitchers he picked this time" was a short but significant comment, revealing the reason for the selection. This means that Park Dong-won is likely to be the main catcher of next year's WBC.

Finally, coach Ryu said, `There is Koo Ja-wook, but I also expect the two to lead the juniors in the dugout," he added.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.