Tokyo: The lopsided score notwithstanding, South Korean manager Ryu Ji-hyun breathed a sigh of relief after winning the team's first game of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) on Thursday. Behind two home runs by Shay Whitcomb and one dinger each by Jahmai Jones and Moon Bo-gyeong, South Korea beat up Czechia 11-4 to begin Pool C play at Tokyo Dome.
According to Yonhap News Agency, it was the first time since 2009, four tournaments ago, that South Korea won its opening game at a WBC. On the three occasions when the team dropped the first games, South Korea missed out on the knockout stage. "These first games are never easy," Ryu said at his postgame press conference. "It doesn't matter who the opponent is. There is always some tension in the air in a game like this. Fortunately, we got a grand slam in the first inning and it made things easy for us from the start."
Ryu was referring to Moon's first-inning blast that put South Korea up 4-0. The lead grew to 6-0 after a groundout by Jones and a solo shot by Whitcomb, before reliever Jeong Woo-joo served up a three-run shot to Terrin Vavra in the fifth. Whitcomb restored order for South Korea with a two-run homer in the fifth and the rout was on.
"We built some good momentum in our scrimmages in Okinawa," Ryu said of his earlier training camp in southwestern Japan. "And then we were able to continue with that in exhibition games in Osaka and now in Tokyo. Things are moving in the right direction offensively."
Jeong was supposed to have been the second pitcher of the game behind So Hyeong-jun, who gave South Korea three shutout innings. But Ryu said he wanted to send the 19-year-old Jeong to face the lower part of the opposing lineup, and Noh Kyung-eun, 41, ended up taking the ball to start the fourth inning against cleanup Martin Cervenka.
Jeong's first batter was No. 9 hitter Max Prejda in the fifth, but the right-hander hit him with his very first pitch, setting the stage for Vavra's home run. Jeong only lasted that one inning. "I was hoping Woo-joo would give us a couple of innings," Ryu said. "That didn't go according to our plan. But other than that, I am okay with the way our pitching went."
South Korea will have an offday Friday and will next face the defending champion Japan at 7 p.m. Saturday. "We will try to regroup tomorrow and think about how we will approach the Japan game," the manager said, without revealing much about any possible lineup changes or pitching plans. "Our offense is in a groove and we will try to be prepared for the game the day after tomorrow."
Czechia manager Pavel Chadim said he was "proud" of his team for putting up a good fight. "I'm happy for hitters. It's a great feeling to play with four of the best teams in the world face to face, and it was 10-9 for (South Korea) in hits," Chadim said. "I am happy that we played competitive baseball. I hope that fans in Czechia and fans around the world saw it."
Czechia had also lost two exhibition games to South Korea last fall, though both teams had different lineups Thursday than back then. Chadim noted the biggest difference was the presence of Whitcomb and Jones. "I think the difference was the four home runs against us today," Chadim said, with Moon's grand slam being the other South Korean home run. "We lost 4-1 in home runs."