Tokyo: South Korean star Kim Do-yeong said Monday he and his teammates were ready to put their recent losses at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) behind them and instead focus on the immediate task -- trying to qualify for the knockout round by beating Australia later in the evening.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim expressed a collective mindset among the team to move forward from past defeats, emphasizing that the tournament is ongoing and opportunities still exist. "We all have the same mindset. Whatever happened in the past belongs in the past, and the tournament is still ongoing," Kim said at his pregame press conference at Tokyo Dome. "We have to forget about the past because we still have an opportunity today. We will not give up until the very end."
After an initial victory against Czechia in Pool C action, South Korea faced setbacks with consecutive losses to Japan and Chinese Taipei. To advance to the quarterfinals, South Korea must secure a victory over Australia by at least five runs while allowing two or fewer runs.
Kim finds confidence in his recent performance, particularly his showing against Chinese Taipei on Sunday. Despite batting 3-for-13 for the tournament, Kim contributed significantly in crucial moments against Chinese Taipei. He delivered a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning and later tied the game with a double in the eighth, although South Korea eventually lost 5-4 in extra innings.
Reflecting on his contributions, Kim stated, "After yesterday's game, I felt convinced that I am in great form. I was worried that it might be a little too late, but we still have an opportunity here. I will do my very best today. Even though we haven't had the results we wanted, I am having a great time playing in these games. I think I am growing with each and every game here, and this tournament has meant so much to me."