“I’ve been waiting for the day we can play baseball together.”
For NC native ace Koo Chang-mo, the WBC in March has a special meaning. It is because he can compete with the superstars he has always wanted to see and live with his role models. Baseball is baseball everywhere, but for Koo Chang-mo, the WBC is a new baseball world.
Gu Chang-mo signed a multi-year contract with NC for 6+1 years and 13.2 billion won this offseason. When he was healthy for three years starting in 2020, he received a solid reward for delivering top-tier performances in the KBO League. He has durability issues, but at 26, his future value is also high.
For Gu Chang-mo, international competitions remain a disappointment. 2017 APBC is everything in my career. At that time, he had 2 hits (1 home run), 1 strikeout, 2 runs, and an earned run average of 13.50 in 1⅓ innings in 2 games. For Chang-mo Koo, the motivation for this WBC is bound to be different.
Koo Chang-mo is looking forward to meeting Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels). After the New Year’s party on the 16th, at Changwon NC Park, “I really want to see Ohtani once. I want to face him.” When asked what type of pitch he would use for the first pitch, he said, “The man is a fastball.” 먹튀검증
Koo Chang-mo said, “Like APBC in 2017, this tournament will also be held at the Tokyo Dome. I feel that I am different from then and now. If I play against Japan this time, I want to take revenge. Manager Lee Kang-cheol was the pitching coach at the time.”
The highlight of Group B in the first round of the WBC was the Korea-Japan match on March 10th. Japanese media recently reported on the possibility of Ohtani starting in the Korean War. If he doubles as a pitcher, it is expected that he will be able to naturally compare his competitiveness by facing off against key hitters and pitchers in the KBO League at the same time. Gu Chang-mo has a good deception and simple arm swing, so it is not easy for batters to match the timing.
It is also a WBC that makes my heart flutter with ‘Kwang Hyeon-jong’. Gu Chang-mo said, “I have always waited for the day to play baseball together. The opportunity came this time. They are seniors who can learn a lot just by watching them play baseball. It will bother you a lot to go to the convention. I want to follow along and ask questions, and I want to ask what is different about international competitions.”
Koo Chang-mo has established himself as the successor to the native left-handed ace in the KBO League following Kim Gwang-hyun and Yang Hyeon-jong. As long as there are no health problems in the future, it is certain that he will consistently wear the Taegeuk mark at major international competitions. It seems that he will naturally follow the path of Gwang Hyeon-jong. Gu Chang-mo said, “I sent a text message to senior Yang Hyeon-jong for the New Year.”