Heo In-seo, the Hanwha Eagles catcher who emerged as a regular this season, will wear the taeguk mark and have another period of growth.
Heo In-seo played in 130 games this year, hitting .283 (407 at-bats, 115 hits) with 20 home runs, 79 RBIs, 59 runs and an OPS of 0.821. He is a leading candidate not only for rookie of the year but also for the Golden Glove as a Hanwha catcher, the first such possibility in 37 years since Yoo Seung-an in 1989.
After a career-best season, Heo In-seo will wear the taeguk mark at the ABPC (Asia Professional Baseball Championship) starting at Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 12th and also earned the honor of being called up to his first senior national team. From Hanwha, Moon Hyun-bin and left-handed pitcher Cho Dong-uk were also named to the roster.
Cho Dong-uk said, “When the roster came out, I sent In-seo hyung a message saying, ‘Dong-uk, we finally get to wear the taeguk mark,'” he recalled. Heo In-seo laughed, “Dong-uk also pitched a lot this season and had a hard time, so I contacted him because we could go to the national team together. I think I felt good that day. But after that it was fine.”
Heo In-seo has been to Tokyo Dome but has never played a game there. Three years ago at the 2023 APBC, when he was with the military team Sangmu, Heo In-seo watched the national team games as an alternate reserve. He said, “I knew I would be the right age to play in the next tournament, so in a way I thought it might be my last chance to play, and I really wanted to go, so I’m glad to have this opportunity,” expressing special emotion.
For Heo In-seo, it is an opportunity to try battery chemistry with good young players from other teams. Heo In-seo said, “They are pitchers I kept facing in games, and I got to catch pitches I thought were good. Since they are all good pitchers, it will be fun to catch them, so I’m excited.” When asked which pitcher he especially looked forward to, he answered, “(Choi) Jun-yong hyung’s fastball is so good that I’m curious. It will be interesting.”
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