Cardinals reliever O'Brien named Korea's closer for WBC

Ryu Ji-hyun, manager of the Korean national baseball team, speaks at a press conference in Seoul announcing his roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Friday. Yonhap

Korea manager Ryu Ji-hyun has named St. Louis Cardinals reliever Riley O'Brien as his closer for the upcoming World Baseball Classic (WBC).

In announcing his 30-man roster for the tournament Friday in Seoul, Ryu also said San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo will be captain.

O'Brien is one of four players born in the United States to a Korean mother. Thanks to loose eligibility rules for the WBC, players can represent the country of birth for either of their parents, even if those players weren't born there.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Jahmai Jones, Houston Astros utility player Shay Whitcomb and Seattle Mariners pitcher Dane Dunning are three other half-Korean players.

O'Brien, who turned 31 on Friday, is coming off his best season in the majors. He pitched a career-high 48 innings over 42 outings and posted a career-best 2.06 ERA, while striking out 45 batters and walking 22.

"O'Brien was dominant in the majors, and basically, we see him as our closer," Ryu said at a press conference. "We will send him out there anywhere between the seventh and the ninth innings, depending on the situation."

Ryu, who previously served as the national team's pitching coach, said he sensed a particular need for right-handed bats, which Jones and Whitcomb will help address.

Jones, 28, put up a solid .287/.387/.550 line with seven homers and 23 RBIs in a career-high 72 games last season for the Tigers. Whitcomb, 27, has 40 big league games under his belt and has a career .178 batting average. In Triple-A last year, he launched 25 homers and stole 16 bags in 107 games.

Ryu added he sees Dunning, who has made 102 starts in his big league career, as a swingman.

"We think he can give us around 65 pitches in both starts or in relief," the manager added.

The manager explained that those U.S.-based players may not be able to join the national team camp in Japan in mid-February due to their club commitments. But they may be able to fly to Osaka in early March for tuneup games before the tournament starts on March 5.

Lee, 27, was widely considered the best pure hitter in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) before taking his talent to the U.S. ahead of the 2024 season. Following an injury-plagued rookie campaign, Lee batted .266/.327/.407 with eight homers, 55 RBIs and 10 steals, along with his team-leading totals of 12 triples and 31 doubles.

"We feel Lee Jung-hoo is the best Korean player at the moment, and we started talking to him about captaincy last September," Ryu said.

Korea will try to move past the preliminary round for the first time since reaching the final in 2009, the second edition of the WBC. To do so at the March 5-17 tournament this year, Korea must finish in the top two in Pool C, with Japan, Chinese Taipei, Australia and the Czech Republic lined up as opponents.

All Pool C games will be played at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo.

Cho Kye-hyun, general manager of the national team, said age or club affiliation were not considered when selecting 30 players.

"We picked the players that we felt would give us the best competitive edge," Cho said. "I can also tell you that our focus was on taking our best shot against Chinese Taipei and Japan."

Other than Lee, Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Kim Hye-seong is the only other Korean player based in the majors. Atlanta Braves shortstop Kim Ha-seong and San Diego Padres infielder Song Sung-mun have both been sidelined with injuries, depleting Korea of strong offensive and defensive options.

"Having both players would have been the best-case scenario for us," Ryu said. "We reached into our Plans B and C to put together our infield group."

Dane Dunning of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Texas Rangers during the clubs' Major League Baseball regular-season game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, July 26, 2025. Yonhap

Ryu said NC Dinos star Kim Ju-won, who broke out with 15 homers, 65 RBIs and 44 steals last year while playing much-improved defense, will likely be his starting shortstop. Whitcomb, who can handle all infield positions and can also play some outfield, could be asked to play shortstop, Ryu added.

The manager will have some versatility in the bullpen, with O'Brien joined by former KBO All-Star closer Go Woo-suk, who recently signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers but has yet to reach the majors since moving to the United States in 2024. Park Yeong-hyun (KT Wiz) and Jo Byeong-hyeon (SSG Landers) are lights-out closers for their respective clubs, while LG Twins teammates Song Seung-ki and Son Ju-young are the two lefties who can both start and pitch in relief.

"We have to be strategic about our bullpen plans, because when a reliever throws at least 30 pitches, he can't pitch the next day," Ryu said, referring to a rule designed to protect pitchers. "We will have to lean on a bunch of guys to carry the bullpen."

Ryu described the first game against Czechia as "a must-win game."

"At the last three WBCs when we were knocked out of the first round, we all lost the first games," he said. "We must absolutely beat the Czech Republic. And the process will also be important because how we play will set us up nicely for the games that follow."