(LEAD) (WBC) Bats wake up just in time for S. Korea
2026.03.09 23:49
(LEAD) (WBC) Bats wake up just in time for S. Korea
(ATTN: ADDS comments in last 7 paras)
By Yoo Jee-ho
TOKYO, March 9 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean bats that had been dormant the previous day woke up just in time Monday night to send the team to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Designated hitter Moon Bo-gyeong led the charge with a four-RBI night at Tokyo Dome, as South Korea defeated Australia 7-2 in the teams' final Pool C game.
The victory netted South Korea a ticket to Miami for the quarterfinals, the country's first trip to the knockout phase since 2009.
To win a tiebreaker and reach the quarterfinals over Australia and Chinese Taipei, South Korea had to win Monday's game by at least five runs and also hold Australia to two or fewer runs. And South Korea met those criteria right on the numbers thanks to its resurgent offense.
Moon fired the opening shot with a two-run home run in the top second, and after Lee Jung-hoo's RBI double that made it a 3-0 game in the top third, Moon added a run-scoring double of his own to give South Korea a 4-0 lead.
Then Moon put South Korea up 5-0 with a single in the fifth.
All South Korea had to do now was to at least hang on to that score.
Robbie Glendinning ruined that plan by smashing a solo home run in the bottom fifth. It forced South Korea to score at least another run to get back into the position to reach the quarterfinals.
Kim Do-yeong picked up the slack with his two-out single that gave South Korea a 6-1 advantage.
Australia cut it to 6-2 in the eighth, forcing South Korea to score another run to move on to the next stage. And this time, Ahn Hyun-min, who had two hits on the night after recording just two hits over his three previous games, came through with a sacrifice fly that cashed in the team's seventh run to restore the five-run lead.
Kim Do-yeong had been the lone offensive star for South Korea in a 5-4 loss to Chinese Taipei on Sunday, as he accounted for two of his team's four hits. He had much more support around him this time, as South Korea pounded out 10 hits.
Moon, the protagonist of Monday night's drama, said he was proud of himself and his teammates for overcoming pressure in such a high-stress situation.
"I am truly grateful to be part of a team that's now going to the knockouts for the first time in 17 years," Moon said. "The WBC is a tournament for the greatest players in the world. We don't know yet who we're going to face next but we will all try to play even better going forward."
Moon now leads the entire tournament with 11 RBIs, though he said he couldn't care less about his individual numbers.
"I am just happy that we're moving on. I can't even describe in words how great this feels," Moon said. "I don't even know if I've ever swung the bat as well as I am doing right now. It's so fortunate this good stretch has overlapped with this tournament."
Both Moon and Kim, recent Korean Series champions in the Korea Baseball Organization, said Monday's win felt even more exhilarating than clinching their domestic league titles.
Kim also said the team's collective confidence in itself was not affected by consecutive losses to Japan and to Chinese Taipei over the weekend.
"I felt we could absolutely pull this off," Kim said. "We didn't hang our heads for too long. I think we were all ready to enjoy this experience, regardless of how things played out, and we got it done in the end."
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)
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