▲ WBC 메인홈피 캡쳐
Korea clinches spot in Classic semis
Spirited first-inning outburst holds in victory over rival Japan
By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com
SAN DIEGO -- Korean outfielder Yong-Kyu Lee dug into dirt near the back of the batter's box with his left foot with the wiggling motion familiar to baseball players in any nation. He tapped the top of his left wrist with his right hand and then pushed down his helmet as he squatted into a crouching position.
Lee cocked his back leg, he tapped his front foot and by the time Japanese starter Yu Darvish was into his delivery, the outfielder had recoiled into hitting position.
Lee's bat, his distinct leg kick and Darvish's pitch all came together at the same time at home plate and the result was a sharp single to left field.
The crowd at PETCO went wild. Lee pumped his fist midway down the first-base line and his teammates in the home dugout went crazy, almost spilling out onto the field.
It was the bottom of the first inning in the game between Japan and Korea and this was clearly not just another World Baseball Classic game. This game was about pride and the biggest rivalry Asian baseball.
Korea won the contest, 4-1, securing a spot in the semifinals in Los Angeles. It will face the winner of Wednesday's matchup between Cuba and Japan on Thursday to determine the Pool 1 winner. The loser of the Cuba-Japan contest will be eliminated from the tournament.
Korea is 5-1 in World Baseball Classic play this year.
As for Lee, he stole second base with the next hitter, Keun-Woo Jeong, at the plate. Not to be outdone, Jeong followed with a ground ball to second base and raced down the line in a full sprint. He safely slid headfirst into first base, again sending the crowd and his teammates into a frenzy.
There was little doubt that the Koreans had come to play.
Lee came home on a ground ball by left fielder Hyun-Soo Kim for Korea's first run. Jeong and Kim both scored on a single by Jin Young Lee to give Korea a 3-0 lead.
Was the game over before it started? Darvish, the talented 22-year old Japanse pitching phenom, was human after all. Korean starter Jung Keun Bong did his best Superman impression, outpitching Darvish and limiting the Japanese offense to one run on three hits in his 5 1/3 innings pitched.
Bong's only blemish came in the fifth inning, when Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome hit a single to right field and eventually scored on a ground ball by Ichiro Suzuki.
Darvish recovered after the shaky first inning and finished with a respectable pitching line: three runs on four hits in five innings.
아무래도 이용규 선수가 초반부터 안타와 도루로 다르빗슈와 일본팀을 정신없이 흔들었고, 그것이 오늘 승부에 직결됐기 때문에 이런 식으로 분석한 것이 아닌가 그런 생각이 드는군요.
5.1이닝 1실점으로 호투한 봉중근을 꼽자니 비록 패전하긴 했지만 다르빗슈의 환상투와 비교되고, 김태균의 일품수비를 꼽자니 슬러거로 찍힌 것과 조금 언밸런스하고, 나머지는 거기서 거기...
암튼 이종욱 대신 이용규를 1번에 배치한 김인식 감독의 구상이 절묘하게 맞아 떨어졌으니, 이 시합의 MOM은 김인식 감독이라 해도 무방할 듯... ^^
이 기세를 그대로 살려서 일본을 계속해서 사뿐히 즈려밟아 주시고 나아가 우승까지 했으면 합니다. 대인배 김인식 감독과 한국 선수들에게 진심에서 우러난 박수를~~~!!!
