Veteran pitchers to join nat'l team training camp for World Baseball Classic
Ryu Hyun-jin of the Hanwha Eagles pitches against the LG Twins during Game 5 of the Korean Series at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, Oct. 31. Yonhap
Two seasoned veteran pitchers have made the Korean national baseball team's training camp roster ahead of next year's World Baseball Classic (WBC).
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) unveiled the 29-man training roster Wednesday, with manager Ryu Ji-hyun set to run camp in Saipan in the western Pacific Ocean from Jan. 9 to 21.
Ryu Hyun-jin, the 38-year-old starter for the Hanwha Eagles, and Noh Kyung-eun, the 41-year-old reliever for the SSG Landers, are among 16 pitchers. The camp will also feature 13 position players, including KT Wiz outfielder Ahn Hyun-min, the 2025 Rookie of the Year, and Kia Tigers infielder Kim Do-yeong, the 2024 KBO MVP.
After Korea played four exhibition games last month, two each against the Czech Republic and Japan, with a youthful squad, manager Ryu spoke about needing some veteran presence on the pitching staff.
Ryu Hyun-jin, a former major league All-Star, went 9-7 with a 3.23 ERA this year, ranking ninth in ERA among pitchers who threw at least 120 innings. Ryu represented Korea at the 2006 Asian Games, the 2008 Summer Olympics, the 2009 WBC and the 2010 Asian Games.
Noh has led the KBO in holds in each of the past two seasons, with 38 last year and 35 this year. The ageless wonder led the KBO with 77 appearances last year and ranked third this year with the same number of outings.
The KBO said it submitted its provisional roster of 35 players to the WBC organizing committee Wednesday, but it cannot be disclosed per tournament regulations.
The deadline to finalize the 30-man roster is Feb. 3. The 2026 WBC runs from March 5 to 17.
The three Korean players who plied their trade in Major League Baseball this year, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants, Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers and free agent infielder Kim Ha-seong, were not named to the camp roster. But they will likely be included on the final tournament squad.