Could it be because of the familiar stadium effect? In the first real match of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team, KT Wiz players flew wildly.
The 2023 WBC Korean national team, led by coach Lee Kang-cheol, won an 8-2 victory over NC in a practice game held at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, on the 17th (Korean time).
Director Lee Kang-cheol, who watched the first training the day before (16th), said, “The beasts have built better bodies than I thought,” and as if to prove his words, they showed powerful offensive power.
It was Kang Baek-ho 바카라사이트who opened the door. At the end of the second inning, Kang Baek-ho exploded a final two-run four against Song Myeong-ki at the first base, which was created after Kim Hyun-soo hit a heavy hit. Afterwards, the national team scored 7 points at the end of the 3rd inning, with Choi Jung’s left-handed solo shot, Na Seong-beom’s right-handed 1 RBI and timely hit, 2 points, and Oh Ji-hwan’s left fielder’s sacrifice fly 1 RBI at the end of the 4th inning, and Park Byung-ho and Kim Hyun-soo’s consecutive 1 RBI and timely hit. At the bottom of the 7th inning, Park Hae-min’s 1 RBI and a timely double hit earned a key point.
On the mound, Ko Young-pyo’s performance was dazzling. Manager Lee Kang-cheol was concerned that “a pitcher will take some time,” but Ko Young-pyo was an exception. Ko Young-pyo, who took the mound twice in place of Kim Gwang-hyeon (SSG), gave Kim Joo-won a heavy hit, but caught Seo Ho-cheol’s ground ball and created a 1-4-3 double play, quickly raising two out counts. Afterwards, he struck out Jang-Han Oh with a swing, but it was far short of the 20 to 25 pitches he was supposed to throw per pitcher.
In the end, he dealt with two more batters, striking out Joong-yeol Ahn on a swing and catching Seok-hyun Han with a ground ball from first baseman. Because of that, Ko Young-pyo set a record that day with 1 hit, 2 strikeouts, no run in 1 inning, and 5 out counts.
In addition, the performance of KT players was outstanding. The national team borrowed infielders Ryu Hyun-in, Son Min-seok, and catcher Kang Hyun-woo from KT to play the game because the keystone duo Kim Ha-seong (28, San Diego) and Tommy Edman (28, St. Louis) were unable to attend training. At the beginning of the 6th inning, when the national team was ahead 7-2, Kang Hyun-woo caught runner Kwon Jeong-woong as a check and poured cold water on the NC. In the subsequent at-bat, Ryu Hyun-in, who was put into third base, hit NC’s well-hit fast ball and made a straight hit, creating an inning shift.
KT arrived at the Kino Sports Complex on the 29th of last month and is conducting a spring camp. While the national team announced their good condition from the first match, KT also achieved results as its players contributed to the victory of the national team.