Go Young-pyo, of KT Wiz, has been named the starting pitcher for South Korea in their upcoming match against Japan as they look to break a 10-game losing streak. Japan is expected to counter with left-hand pitcher Kikuchi Yusei from the LA Angels. The game will take place on the evening of March 7 at the Tokyo Dome during the World Baseball Classic (WBC) group stage, where both teams are coming off confident wins against the Czech Republic and Taiwan, respectively.

The South Korean team faces some challenges in formulating their pitching strategy against Japan, especially as they have upcoming matches against Taiwan and Australia. The selection process for the starting pitcher was challenging due to injuries that have sidelined players like Moon Dong-joo and Won Tae-in, which limited the available options. After much consideration, Manager Ryu Ji-hyeon decided that Go Young-pyo, who has previously performed well against Japan, would take the mound, anticipating the need for a backup pitching strategy if the game starts challenging.

Go Young-pyo is an experienced pitcher in international competitions, having previously faced Japan in the semi-finals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he pitched five innings with two earned runs. However, his recent outing in the 2023 WBC against Australia saw him allowing two runs over 4⅓ innings. He acknowledges the pressure of the matchup against Kikuchi, a talented left-handed pitcher known for his fastball exceeding 155 km/h, and emphasizes his intention to focus on competing against the batters, regardless of the outcome.