Our national team in the World Baseball Classic lost their first game against Australia, which they had chosen as their sure-fire opponent. The pitching staff collapsed after being hit by three home runs, and there was even an embarrassing mistake in which the hitter was out while celebrating.
Under the pressure of having to win, the national team played a difficult game without catching the flow in the beginning.
Starting with the lead batter in the first inning, 13 batters withdrew with consecutive hits, and starter Young-Pyo Ko allowed a solo home run in the 5th inning, followed by a shaky pitch in the 4th inning and the opening run.
The attack that was blocked was revived from the 5th inning.
Yang Eui-ji hit a three-run home run and overturned the game at once, and Park Byeong-ho added one more run with a timely double in the 6th inning.
In the second half of the game, when victory seemed imminent with a 4-2 lead, the mound collapsed.
In the 7th inning Kim Won-joong hit a come-from-behind three-point home run, and in the 8th inning Yang Hyeon-jong hit a wedge-seok store in turn and bowed his head.
Kang Baek-ho, who came out as a pinch hitter in the 7th inning, made a fatal mistake by falling off the base and being tagged out while celebrating at second base after hitting a hit to left-center.
The national team pursued with a one-point lead by scoring three points with six pitches in the eighth inning without a hit, and continued their hopes with Edmon’s lead-off hit in the ninth inning, but there was no come-from-behind drama in the end.
After Kim Ha-sung and Lee Jung-hoo, whom they trusted, retreated with a hit, the game ended as Edmund tried to steal second base and was out.
The players, who suffered a shocking come-from-behind loss 8-7, left the Tokyo Dome with a firm expression.
[Lee Kang-cheol/WBC national team coach: It seems that the pitcher I trusted played a game that went over with a little mistake in one inning. Since there are three more games left, I will prepare to focus on that.]
Korean baseball, which has lost the first game in all three recent WBCs, is in a difficult position to save its hopes of reaching the quarterfinals if it must catch Japan, the strongest group in Group B, tomorrow. .