San Francisco Giants Lee Jung-hoo (28) was introduced as a star player representing Korea at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
MLB.com, the official Major League Baseball media outlet, introduced each team's representative players on the 6th (KST) as participating countries revealed their final rosters. With many superstars lined up, the United States, Japan and the Dominican Republic were mentioned as favorites to win, and Korea was also noted as a team to watch.
The WBC to be held in March is the sixth edition of the tournament. Japan leads with three championships (2006, 2009, 2023), making it the team with the most titles, while the United States (2017) and the Dominican Republic (2013) have each won once. These three teams are strong favorites again in this tournament. Japan and the United States met in the final in the last tournament, and the final at-bat face-off between Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) and Mike Trout (Angels), who were teammates on the Angels at the time, thrilled fans.
Fan interest in this tournament is hotter than in the last one. That's because superstars who dominated the league last season, such as Ohtani, Aaron Judge (Yankees), Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh) and Tarik Skubal (Detroit), are all participating. MLB.com said, "Skenes, Skubal and Judge join the U.S. team and Ohtani appears for defending champion Japan, marking the first time in WBC history that the previous season's MVP and Cy Young Award winner both participate," expressing high expectations.
Looking at the rosters of the three favorites, most are filled with Major League players. Except for Japan, which has its own domestic league, the United States and the Dominican Republic are composed entirely of Major League players. Moreover, they are not just Major League players; most are players who can challenge for or have already experienced All-Star or MVP honors.
Lee Jung-hoo was mentioned as part of a father-and-son pair who can shine in the WBC. Lee Jung-hoo, the son of Lee Jong-beom, who was called the "son of the wind," is well known in Major League Baseball by the nickname "grandson of the wind." Lee Jong-beom delivered decisive performances at the 2006 WBC and helped Korea reach the semifinals. Lee Jung-hoo also played well in the last tournament, and this will be his second WBC appearance.
Lee Jung-hoo, who recorded a KBO League career total of 884 games with a .340 batting average (3,476 at-bats, 1,181 hits), 65 home runs, 515 RBIs, 581 runs, 69 stolen bases and an OPS of .898, won the KBO League MVP in 2022. After the 2023 season, he posted and signed a six-year, $113 million contract with San Francisco (about 336.6 billion won), and in two seasons in the major leagues he played 187 games with a .265 batting average (705 at-bats, 187 hits), 10 home runs, 63 RBIs, 88 runs, 12 stolen bases and an OPS of .715.
Entering his third year in the major leagues, Lee Jung-hoo is expected to be the central hitter leading Korea's lineup in this tournament. MLB.com said, "Lee Jung-hoo once again joins the WBC roster that his father Lee Jong-beom starred on," expressing anticipation for Lee Jung-hoo's performance.
Lee Jung-hoo, who has shown affection for the national team and criticized it since last year, will give uniform number 51 to junior Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha) for this tournament and will take the field wearing number 22 himself.<
[OSEN]