Lee Kang-cheol-ho’s last opponent in the first round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), China, selected a Japanese outfielder who won the U23 Baseball World Cup MVP.

Japanese media such as Sports Hochi and West Japan Sports said on the 8th, “Masago Yusuke, who played for the Softbank Hawks, will participate in the WBC as a representative of China. told

Born to a Chinese father and a Japanese mother, Masago played for the Chinese national team according to the WBC rules, which allowed players to choose their national team according to their lineage.

Masago, who joined Softbank in 2013, played in 180 games by 2022, posting a batting average of 0.219, 46 hits, 3 homers, 16 RBIs and 37 runs scored. He was released from Softbank after the end of last year’s season, and he is currently a member of the baseball team.

Although Masago did not achieve great results in the pros, he was evaluated as having excellent potential as a promising player. In particular, at the U23 Baseball World Cup, where he participated as a representative of Japan in 2016, he made a big success with a batting average of 0.387, 4 homers, and 14 RBIs, winning the championship and winning MVP and Best Nine. At the time, in the first group stage match against Korea, he even hit a solo shot to tie the score. 토토사이트

The Japanese media were wary of China, which Masago joined. Sports Hochi said, “China is one step below objective power, but it is an opponent that needs vigilance due to lack of information. As Masago, who played for Softbank for 10 years, joins, there is a risk that all information about the Japanese baseball team will be revealed.” told

China was placed in Group B with Korea, Japan, Australia, and the Czech Republic in the first round of the WBC to be held next month. Korea will play its final match against China on March 13 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, and the final result of the first round is expected to be decided based on the result of this match.