KBO League has limited the total number of foreign players to 1 million dollars, and since the minimum salary of U.S. players was recently raised, interest in the Korean market has decreased. Korea has been regarded as a land of opportunity to achieve wealth and honor at the same time, but as financial compensation was limited, interest in Korea has cooled down. The financial power of neighboring Japanese professional baseball is also inferior.

This atmosphere is being detected early this year. Each team is contacting foreign players based on the list they have long selected, but complaints are heard everywhere that it is difficult. Now, it is necessary not only to cap the total amount of new foreigners but also to match the salary cap of foreign players of $4 million. For the team, which is planning to renew contracts with existing foreign players, it is difficult to supply and demand new ones. Although it is expanding its stride to Latin America such as Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, the difficulties do not seem to be resolved easily.

In the meantime, Taiwanese pitchers, who have recently performed impressively on the international stage, are drawing attention.

Recently, Korean baseball has frequently encountered Taiwan at the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Asian Professional Baseball Championship, and the Asian Youth Baseball Championship. Taiwan, which had no chance to face off against each other during the COVID-19 pandemic, has grown significantly and is now threatening Korea. Excellent pitching staff is at the center of it.

At the Asian Games, Ryu Zhiroong (24), who plays for Double-A under the Boston Red Sox, left a strong impression. He pitched in the top of the ninth inning and played the closing role in his first showdown with Korea, and took the mound as the second pitcher after starting pitcher Lin Yu-min in the final and took responsibility for four innings alone. He overwhelmed Korea's batters with fastballs in the late 150 kilometers of maximum speed. His performance in two games included two hits, one walk and eight strikeouts in five innings, and 0.00 ERA. He has a strong fastball, slider, curve, splitter, and changeup with various breaking balls.

Lin Yu-min (20) started both games against Korea. A member of the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league team, Lin allowed four hits and six strikeouts in six innings, and allowed two strikeouts and two runs in five innings in the final game. Ku Lin Lei-yang (23), a member of the Taiwanese professional baseball team, who pitched in relief in the first game against Korea and gave one hit and two strikeouts in two innings, is also noteworthy.

Xurou Xie (23), a member of the Wei Quan Dragons who pitched in the game against Korea at the Asian Youth Baseball Championship, also drew attention. He had no loss with 10 strikeouts in seven innings against Korea. He only had one win in 15 ⅓ innings in five games this year, but he garnered 1.17 ERA, and contributed to his team's win by pitching 11 innings in two games of the Taiwan Series, with one win and a 0.82 ERA.

It is difficult to judge their performance based on the results of a short-term match in which they will face off virtually completely blank. However, it is noteworthy that Taiwanese pitchers have performed better than Korean pitchers in terms of pitching and pitching. "Players talked among themselves that Taiwanese long-haired pitcher Ryu Zhiroong who came after starting pitcher (in the final) would throw balls that are considered one of the best in the KBO League," said Jihoon Choi (26), who participated in the Asian Games.

Previously, the KBO League experienced positive effects through its performance as a Taiwanese player. Wang Wei-joong, who played for the NC Dinos in 2018, is the main character. When he joined the NC uniform, a Taiwanese broadcaster signed a broadcasting rights contract, and Taiwanese baseball fans visited Korea, which made a big hit. If a Taiwanese player plays in the KBO League uniform, he can enjoy such a ripple effect.

Given this reality, there seems to be a need to diversify the supply and demand of foreign pitchers. If Taiwanese players known for their annual salary or ¼ in the KBO League are brought in and utilized, they can secure "low-cost, high-efficiency" players.    안전놀이터