Suzuki Seiya (Chicago Cubs) was missing due to injury, but the power of the Japanese baseball team aiming to regain the top of the WBC (World Baseball Classic) is evaluated as the best among participating countries.
Hideki Kuriyama built the best team as the Japanese national team coach intended.
2021 AL unanimous MVP Shohei Otani (LA Angels), MLB 15-win winner Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres), 5-year, $90 million contract with the Boston Red Sox Masataka Yoshida, first ever Japanese big leaguer Las Nuthba (St. Louis) has joined
In addition, Murakami Munetaka, who set a new Japanese home run record (56 homers) this season with the Yakult Swallows of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), will join. Murakami said, “In the WBC, winning is the only goal. I will make the best body and contribute to the team victory.”
Yamamoto Yoshinobu (Orix), who has won four pitching crowns (most wins, ERA, strikeouts, winning rate) for two consecutive years, and ‘Fireballer’ Sasaki Rocky (Java Lotte) are also preparing to start the WBC.
The condition is also good.
Ohtani already throws balls close to 100 mph. On the 1st, ahead of his departure, Ohtani pitched 2.1 innings (number of pitches = 34), 2 strikeouts, 2 walks, and no runs, starting against the Oakland Athletics in an exhibition match held at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona, USA. Ohtani’s fastball topped out at 98 mph. In the demonstration game, as a hitter, he recorded 2 hits (1 triple) in 5 at-bats.
On the 4th, Sasaki started a practice game against Chunichi held at Vantelin Dome in Nagoya, Japan, and pitched a good pitch with 1 hit, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in 3 innings. His personal career high speed, 165 km/h, made the officials of the Japanese national team exclaim.
Japan, who was pointed out as a strong candidate for the championship, was drawn into Group B with Korea, China, Australia, and the Czech Republic at the WBC. Sookmyung’s Korea-Japan match will be held on the 10th at 7pm at the Tokyo Dome. The Korea-Japan match, which can be called the highlight of the WBC, is the first in 14 years since 2009.
Japan is second only to the Dominican Republic in the WBC winning percentage. Won the championship in the 1st and 2nd competitions, and reached the semifinals in the 3rd and 4th competitions. WBC all-time record of 23 wins and 8 losses with a win rate of 74.1% (2nd place). Korea reached the semifinals in the first tournament, and took second place, the best ever in the second tournament, but was eliminated in the first round by the Netherlands and Israel in the third and fourth tournaments. Korea recorded a win rate of 68.2% (4th place) with 15 wins and 7 losses in the WBC.
KBO League MVP & 5 batting champion Lee Jeong-hoo (Kiwoom Heroes) also plays in the keystone combination of Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres) and Tommy Hyeon-soo Edman (St.
However, when looking at the previous record, the results did not come out according to one’s strength. The WBC Korea-Japan match was a series of twists and turns. As the WBC head-to-head match record 4-4 (2-1 in 2006/2-3 in 2009) tells us, the match between Korea and Japan produced many famous scenes.
Korea wrote a myth of advancing to the semifinals in its first tournament in 2006. Not only the players representing the KBO League, but also overseas players Park Chan-ho, Seo Jae-eung, Choi Hee-seop, Kim Byung-hyun, and Lee Seung-yeop all mobilized to build the strongest national team ever.
In the first match against Japan in the first round, Lee Seung-yeop hit a come-from-behind final two-run four in the 8th inning with 1 out and 1 base after being pulled 1-2. In the rematch in the second round, captain Lee Jong-beom hit a final double with two RBIs in the 8th inning when the match was 0-0, with 1 out and 2nd and 3rd base. It was even more thrilling because he scored in the final against Kyuji Fujikawa, who was called the best finisher in Japan at the time.안전놀이터
In the second tournament in 2009, Korea advanced beyond the semifinals to the final. Korea sent Kim Gwang-hyun as a starter in the first game of the first round, but lost in a cold game in the 7th inning (2-14). In the first round finals, Bong Joong-geun, Ryu Hyun-jin, and Lim Chang-yong’s scoreless relief and Kim Tae-gyun’s timely hit in the finals caused a reversal to win 1-0.
The final, which was the final match, was also tense and dramatic. In the bottom of the 9th inning, trailing 1-2, Lee Bum-ho struck a timely hit against Darvish with 2 out on 1st and 2nd base. Even though they lost in overtime, it was a bout that properly showed the taste of persistent Korean baseball.
Korean baseball also participated in the WBC in 2013 and 2017, but both were eliminated in the first round and could not face Japan. If Korean baseball, which has recently been criticized for its poor performance in international competitions, is aiming for a new leap forward, it needs a win against Japan. As shown in the previous competition, Korean baseball has been on the rise beyond expectations after the victory in the Korea-Japan match, giving a great impression to the people.
If Korea finishes second in Group B with Japan in the first round, as expected, they will face the first or second placed team in Group A in the quarterfinal tournament. In Group A, Cuba, the Netherlands and Chinese Taipei are expected to compete fiercely to advance to the quarterfinals. If Korea succeeds in advancing to the semifinals, it will move to Miami, USA for the semifinals. The long-awaited final will be held on the 22nd. Baseball fans are looking forward to the day when Korean baseball will once again plant the Korean flag on the American Major League (MLB) mound.
On the other hand, coach Lee Kang-cheol of the baseball team, who dreams of advancing to the semifinals, said through the KBO Secretariat on the 3rd, “I feel the weight of being a national team, the honor and pride of being a national team, the glory of being a player on the national team, and the infinite responsibility of being a national team coach.” “As well as honor as a national team member, we also bring a heavy sense of responsibility with winning and losing,” he said.
“The national team’s passion and competition reminds us once again of the meaning of the Taegeuk mark. I won’t forget. Our uniforms are engraved with the experience of victory. We have a proud experience of Olympic gold medal and WBC runner-up. And there are people who are with us no matter what. I promise to the people. I will do my best. I will show you hope and excitement. I will become a warrior who pours everything into the field.”