Could professional baseball players Kim Kwang-hyun (37) of the SSG Landers and Ryu Hyun-jin (38) of Hanwha Eagles once again team up as national representatives?

In an interview before the practice game against the KT Wiz held at the Kushigawa Stadium in Okinawa, Japan, on the 28th, Kim Kwang-hyun said about his return to the national team, "First of all, I need to perform well. I hope I can play baseball well enough to be mentioned as a national representative. It is most important to achieve good results to the point where I feel that I am indispensable."

Kim Kwang-hyun has recorded 170 wins, 98 losses, and 2 holds with a 3.33 earned run average over 387 KBO League games (2,177⅔ innings) and 10 wins, 7 losses, and 2 saves with a 2.97 earned run average over 35 Major League Baseball games (145⅔ innings). He is one of South Korea's leading left-handed aces. He has led the national team in many international competitions, including the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC), the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, the 2015 Premier 12, the 2019 Premier 12, and the 2023 WBC.

Kim Kwang-hyun made a start in the second match of the group stage against Japan in the 2023 WBC, recording 5 strikeouts, 2 walks, and 4 earned runs over 2 innings with 3 hits, resulting in a loss. The national team also failed to advance to the main tournament. After this tournament, Kim Kwang-hyun announced his retirement from national team duty. However, he appeared together with Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha) on a YouTube channel operated by Yoon Suk-min, who had also served as a national team ace, leaving room for a potential return to the national team, which became a hot topic.

Ryu Hyun-jin is a prominent ace in South Korea with a total of 108 wins, 60 losses, and 1 save with a 2.92 earned run average over 218 KBO League games (1,427⅓ innings) and 78 wins, 48 losses, with a 3.27 earned run average over 186 Major League Baseball games (1,055⅓ innings). He has excelled in numerous international competitions, including the 2006 Doha Asian Games, the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2009 WBC, and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Kwang-hyun have only played together as national representatives at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 WBC. At this time, the South Korean national team enjoyed a golden period with an Olympic gold medal and a WBC runner-up finish. However, there have been poor performances recently, with consecutive exits from the group stage in the WBC and Premier 12.

Amid increasing calls for revitalization of the national team, Lee Jung-hoo noted that while generational change is important, the best players, regardless of age, should represent the country. To this, Ryu Hyun-jin also said in an interview on the 26th, "I think Lee Jung-hoo's words are correct. The national team will be selected for next year's WBC, and it would be good for the best players from the previous season to participate. Since we are representing the country, it is right to win."

Regarding participation in the 2026 WBC, Ryu Hyun-jin expressed, "If I achieve good results worthy of being selected as a national representative this year, I will certainly consider it seriously and plan to participate." He added, "We need to entice other veteran players one by one. We need to perform better than last year. I believe that to qualify as a national representative, we should exceed all past records."

Upon hearing Ryu Hyun-jin's intention to persuade veterans to participate in the national team, Kim Kwang-hyun remarked, "I hope to be a well-performing veteran. I hope for the best results at the end of the season. It won't be an unpleasant dilemma. I will work hard to ensure I receive a call from Ryu Hyun-jin."

"I think Lee Jung-hoo made a valid point," Kim Kwang-hyun said. "Since everyone has different perspectives, there are many voices saying, 'If the classic results are good, they should be selected' or 'If the sabermetrics results are good, they should be included.' Because of this, it has become burdensome for the players, and the selecting commissioners also feel pressured. I believe this is perhaps the most crucial moment for the South Korean national baseball team. Players genuinely want to excel and wear the proud Taeguk mark, but it has become a situation where players feel pressured and reluctant to participate. I hope we can shift this towards a culture of supporting national team players."

Kim Kwang-hyun indicated that he might consider a return to the national team, stating, "If I perform well enough to be selected, I will think carefully about it." As veterans reignite their passion for international competition, fans are increasingly hopeful that the best national team will be formed for the upcoming 2026 WBC.

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