The Korean baseball team belatedly reported its first win. But winning isn’t so easy. Even against the Czech Republic, a “two-job” team where most of the players have jobs, the bullpen was in trouble, and the veteran fielders gave points that they didn’t have to give because of their mistakes in defense.
In the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) 1st Round Group B Game 3 held at Tokyo Dome, Japan on the 12th, the national team led by head coach Lee Kang-cheol defeated starting pitcher Park Se-woong (Lotte) with 4.2 innings, 8 strikeouts, no runs, and Kim Ha-seong (San Diego), who scored two solo shots. They took the lead and defeated the Czech Republic 7-3. The national team, which suffered humiliating defeats to Australia and Japan and won one victory, will play its final match against China at 7:00 pm on the 13th. The selection is Won Tae-in (Samsung).
Except for the beginning of the game, the content is at the level of a failing grade. This is because it did not overwhelm the Czech Republic, which enjoys baseball while making a living as a doctor, baseball association employee, geography teacher, trading company employee, and accountant. In particular, the middle pitchers who could not even throw strikes properly in the match against Japan were shaken again.
Kwak Bin (Doosan), who came to the mound as the second pitcher, got two hits in a row in the top of the 7th inning and gave up. Jeong Cheol-won (Doosan), who pitched in relief, struck out Martin Chervenka in the 4th, but was hit with 2 RBIs in the 5th by Matei Mencik. In the continued pitching, he brought himself into a crisis with a wild pitch. Kim Won-joong (Lotte), who took the mound in the 8th inning with 1 out and 1st base, was driven to the bases loaded crisis with a hit and a ball that hit the body, and Lee Yong-chan (NC), who hurriedly rose, gave 1 point for a wild throw. 안전놀이터
The defense was also disappointing. In the 7th inning, when the run was lost, captain Kim Hyeon-soo (LG) tried to catch Menshik’s hit ball with a diving catch, but missed it. A single hit led to a double, and both runners hit home, and Kim Hyun-soo was immediately replaced by great defense Choi Ji-hoon (SSG).
Homemaker Yang Eui-ji (Doosan) also made a mistake that led to a loss. Yang Eui-ji failed to catch Chervenka’s foul hit prior to the run in the top of the 8th inning. He floated high toward third base, but missed the ball while looking for a dugout position. If he had been caught, he could have passed the two-out bases crisis without conceding, which eventually led to Lee Yong-chan’s wild fight.