The first match of the finals is one day away. Can the Korean baseball team show the ‘iron wall’ as expected?

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) Korean national team lost 2-4 in an evaluation match against the Orix Buffaloes held at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan on the 6th. This game was the first actual match played by the ‘complete’ national team, which included Ha-seong Kim (San Diego Padres) and Tommy Edman (St. Louis Cardinals). The two players did not participate in the practice match against SSG Landers on March 3 according to the competition rules.

The purpose of the evaluation match is to check the condition. As it is the first time that all the starting players have lost points, the content of the game is more important than the win or loss. But that was the problem. The pitching of the pitching staff was generally good, and the batting line also scored 10 hits. However, the infield team was shaken and recorded 3 errors, which provided an excuse for defeat. Three of the four points Orix made against the Korean national team came from mistakes.

It was more painful because Kim Ha-seong and Oh Ji-hwan (LG Twins) recorded the mistake. Oh Ji-hwan missed Ryoma Ikeda’s normal frontal hit when he was trailing 0-1 with one out and second base in the second inning. He tried to catch it while stepping back, but failed to hit the bounds and dropped it, creating a first and third base crisis. He also dropped the ball in the process of throwing, even when handling a grounder hit by Tatsuya Ashiya, the follow-up. For the national team, Kwang-Hyun Kim (SSG Landers), who pitched in relief, got a hit at the right time, and Joon So-jun (KT Wiz) finished the mound with 3 runs, including 2 unearned runs. 안전놀이터

Ha-seong Kim also showed anxiety. He started as a third baseman and started as a shortstop, his main position, from the 6th inning.