Captain Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) sealed the victory in the top of the ninth with a picture-perfect sliding catch on a hard-hit fly to the outfield with one out and a runner on first. Had he missed that play and allowed a run, Australia would have claimed the last quarterfinal spot.
After the game Lee said, “When Rickson Wingrove’s at-bat went to two strikes, I shifted toward right-center. I think luck was on our side. I knew I had to make that play. The ball also slipped into the lights for a moment — that felt like luck, too.”
Overflowing with emotion after the win and the clinched quarterfinal berth, Lee added, “It really felt like everything lined up for us today,” repeatedly crediting fortune for Korea’s edge. He called his own grounder in the top of the ninth — which led to shortstop Jared Dale’s throwing error and advanced Park Hae-min — another piece of good luck.
When Dale’s throw to second sailed away, Park raced all the way to third and avoided being tagged out, and Lee reached first safely. Without that misplay, Park likely wouldn’t have reached third and Ahn Hyun-min’s fly ball might not have mattered.
Lee credited the whole roster and coaching staff, while singling out closer Jo Byung-hyun for his work. “Honestly, Byung-hyun probably carried the most mental burden. The pressure had to be huge, and I’m grateful he shut down multiple innings at the end,” Lee said.
The disappointment of the 2023 WBC has been a major motivator. Despite strong personal performance then, Lee and the team were eliminated in the first round after losses to Australia and Japan. Reflecting on that time, he said, “I thought, ‘I might be remembered as part of that disaster, but we have senior Ryu Hyun-jin, and the younger players can write a new era.’ That feeling was strong.”
The team that reached the WBC quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years will board a direct charter from Tokyo to Miami around midnight on the 11th to head to the second-round venue. The quarterfinals are scheduled for the 14th at 7:30 a.m.
South Korea’s quarterfinal opponent will be the winner of Pool D; that’s still undecided. As of the morning of the 10th, the Dominican Republic stood at 3-0 and Venezuela at 2-0. The Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Israel, the Netherlands and Nicaragua are playing Pool D round-robin games at LoanDepot Park in Miami.
The Pool D runner-up will face Pool C winner Japan in the quarterfinals, so the March 12 matchup between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela is shaping up as an all-out battle. If Korea clears the quarterfinal hurdle, the likely semifinal opponent would be the United States, the favored team from Pool B. Should Korea reach the final on the 18th at 9 a.m., it could meet Japan again for the title, mirroring the 2009 matchup.
Korea may overhaul up to 30 players from its first-round roster. Korean-American pitcher Riley O’Brien (St. Louis Cardinals), who missed the opening round due to injury, could join the squad starting in the quarterfinals. If added, he could take on the closer’s role and strengthen Korea’s inconsistent bullpen. Reporter Jo Yong-jik
