Kang Baek-ho (24), who suffered from the so-called ‘gum controversy’ at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, expressed his willingness to devote himself to the national team with a mature attitude at the WBC.
Kang Baek-ho has had the most difficult time since his last 2021 pro debut. In his team, KT Wiz, he boasted a good sense of hitting enough to challenge for a batting average of 40% at one time, and even won the first baseman Golden Glove following the combined championship, but he got on the Tokyo Olympic team and chewed gum once and was at the center of controversy .
Kang Baek-ho was caught in a controversy over his attitude as he was caught chewing gum in the 8th inning in the bronze medal match against the Dominican Republic, 6-10 behind. At the time, commentator Park Chan-ho, a legend in Korean baseball, said, “You shouldn’t show this. I have to shout more fighting,” he said, and the matter escalated, and after returning to Korea, Kang Baek-ho said, “It was an act to be criticized enough. I will be recognized as a person in the future.”
Kang Baek-ho, who is in the midst of training for the WBC team at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, USA, met with reporters on the 21st (Korean time) and said, “I apologize again for showing a bad performance at that time. Now, I am training with more responsibility to not show that kind of image,” he said. did.
Unlike 2021, Kang Baek-ho wrote a career low of 204, 5, 6 home runs and 29 RBIs in 62 games due to two major injuries last year. And this led to the bitter result of a 47.3% annual salary cut from 550 million won to 290 million won. Kang Baek-ho was not convinced by the club’s offer of an annual salary contract, but immediately before leaving for spring camp, he signed a stamp and pledged to be faithful. 스포츠토토
Kang Baek-ho is preparing for the 2023 season with the WBC with a poisonous spirit at the Tucson spring camp. He goes to the stadium a little earlier than others and is holding a simple one-on-one data meeting with KT hitting coach Kang Kang. Kang Baek-ho revealed his prospects for the tournament by blowing a large arch before the first evaluation against NC on the 17th.
Kang Baek-ho said, “The training is proceeding as well as I prepared.” However, hitting a home run is not important. He could see the ball well, and I liked the timing.”
As the youngest member of the Beast Team, he learns a lot from his seniors. Kang Baek-ho said, “Many seniors have taken care of me, so I am learning very comfortably. Rather than picking one, I am learning a lot in all aspects of life and sports,” he said. “There are many good pitchers on the mound. My team, KT, also has many good pitchers, but they are even better than them, so I am looking forward to playing together. reliable. From the position of the beast, you can prepare comfortably.”
The weight of the Taegeuk mark in this national team is heavier than in other competitions. Kang Baek-ho, who wore the Taegeuk mark for the third time after Premier 12 in 2019 and the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, said, “I am preparing with a little more responsibility and working hard because I am representing the country. And he thinks hard work is important, but showing a good image to the public is also my responsibility. I will prepare better and show a lot of good images.”