Korea Loses 7-8 to Australia in WBC Opener... Allows 3 Home Runs (Update)

Ko Young-pyo, Kim Won-joong, and Yang Hyeon-jong consecutively give up home runs leading to heavy runs
Faded Yang Eui-ji hits a 3-run home run
Kang Baek-ho suffers a regrettable baserunning out

The South Korean national baseball team, participating in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), lost 7-8 to Australia in the first game of Round 1 Group B held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 9th. After conceding the first run, South Korea took the lead with a three-run homer by Yang Eui-ji but failed to maintain momentum and ultimately lost, putting them at risk of being eliminated in the first round for the third consecutive WBC. South Korea now faces a situation where they must win all three remaining games, including the Korea-Japan match on the 10th, to advance to the quarterfinals. The upcoming games are scheduled against Group B powerhouse Japan on the 10th, the Czech Republic on the 12th, and China on the 13th.

In the early innings, South Korea’s starting pitcher Ko Young-pyo (kt wiz) smoothly retired Australian batters with just four pitches in the top of the 1st inning. In the top of the 2nd, he allowed a hit-by-pitch and a single to put runners on first and third with one out but escaped the inning without allowing a run by inducing groundouts from the following batters. In the top of the 3rd, Ko gave up an infield single to leadoff hitter Ulrik Boyaski but recorded two strikeouts and a groundout to prevent any runs.

In the bottom of the 5th inning with two outs and runners on first and second, Korea's Yang Eui-ji hit a go-ahead three-run home run and is celebrating.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The problem arose in the top of the 4th inning. Ko allowed leadoff hitter George to reach on a hit-by-pitch, Whitefield got a bunt single, and Wingross walked, loading the bases with no outs. Facing a potential big inning, Ko gave up a sacrifice fly to Wade in center field, allowing a run, but managed to induce a double play from Perkins at second base to limit further damage.

Australia scored first. In the 5th inning, after one out, Tim Catelli hit a solo home run over the center fence, giving Australia a two-run lead.

South Korea then diligently began their comeback. In the bottom of the 5th, Kim Hyun-soo drew a walk as the leadoff batter, and Park Kun-woo followed with a single to left field, putting runners on first and second with one out. With two outs and runners on first and third, Yang Eui-ji hit a 129 km/h changeup for a line drive over the left-field fence at the Tokyo Dome, turning the score to 3-2 in favor of South Korea.

In the bottom of the 6th, South Korea added more runs. After two outs, Lee Jung-hoo singled to left field, and Park Byung-ho followed with a double that hit the top of the left-field fence, extending the lead to 4-2.

However, momentum began to shift starting in the top of the 7th. South Korea’s fourth pitcher, So Hyeong-jun, allowed a hit-by-pitch and a single up the middle, then gave up a sacrifice bunt, resulting in runners on second and third with one out. Relief pitcher Kim Won-joong then gave up a three-run homer to Glendinning, and Australia took a 5-4 lead.

In the bottom of the 7th, the mood further dampened when Kang Baek-ho’s double to left-center off Australia’s Warwick Saupold was disallowed. Video review showed Kang was tagged out after his foot left the base.

In the top of the 8th, despite veteran Yang Hyeon-jong entering the mound with one out, South Korea struggled against Australian hitters. Wingross singled through the infield, Wade hit a double to left-center, and Perkins launched a three-run homer over the left field fence, extending Australia’s lead to 8-4.

With defeat looming, South Korea rallied in the bottom of the 8th as Australia’s pitching lost control, issuing six walks and scoring three runs. Tommy Hyun-soo Edmond, Kim Ha-seong, and Lee Jung-hoo drew consecutive walks to load the bases with no outs. Park Byung-ho then drew a bases-loaded walk, and Kim Hyun-soo hit a ground ball to first base, narrowing the score to 6-8. After Park Kun-woo reached on a hit-by-pitch, Oh Ji-hwan added a run with an infield groundout, bringing the score to 7-8.

Kim Hye-seong then drew a walk to load the bases with two outs, but Na Sung-bum struck out, ending the threat. In the bottom of the 9th, Edmond singled to left as the leadoff batter, but Kim Ha-seong and Lee Jung-hoo were retired on groundouts. Edmond was caught stealing second base, ending the game with a narrow one-run loss for South Korea.

As a result, South Korea now faces the pressure of needing a win against Japan in their second game. However, Japan has announced Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres), a top-tier pitcher from Major League Baseball, as their starting pitcher, making the outlook challenging for South Korea.