Kang Baek-ho (KT), the main hitter of Korean baseball, finally decorated the international competition with a “happy ending.” Contrary to his intention, he had a hard time after being criticized for the “Gum Controversy” of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the “Ceremony Jurusa” of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), but he will be able to put his mind down with the gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
The Korean national baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Joong-il, beat Taiwan 2-0 with the perfect harmony of pitching and hitting in the final of the tournament held at the first ball of the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Center in China on the 7th. After losing the group stage, the national team, which avenged the final return match, won the gold medal for the fourth consecutive time following the 2010 Guangzhou Games, 2014 Incheon Games and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.
Kang Baek-ho, who has not enjoyed the joy of winning an international competition, was overcome with emotion. “I was really sorry for not always showing good results in the national team, but I won this time,” he told reporters in the mixed zone after winning the championship. “All the players in our team were better than me, so I could get a dreamlike result. “This situation seems like a lie,” he said.
The national team started with the evaluation of being the weakest before the tournament, and suffered a 0-4 loss to Taiwan in the group stage. As Kang Baek-ho’s initial slump continued, the burden on both the national team and the players increased. However, Kang Baek-ho and the members of the national team were determined to avenge him, and they were determined heart.
Kang Baek-ho said, “When I first lost to Taiwan, the atmosphere was not good. However, the players did not give up and gathered strength until the end. It would not have been easy for us without older brothers such as Kim Hye-sung and Park Se-woong, who worked hard for the team, he said.
Kang Baek-ho, who did not have a good batting sense in this tournament, seemed to set up an opportunity for a rebound, hitting his first home run for the national team against China on the 6th, but slowed down to one hit in four at-bats in the final. Instead, he cheered his teammates and cheered them up throughout the game.
In case young juniors with no experience in international competitions would feel intimidated ahead of the final, he also ordered, “I will eat the curse, so please show your spirit.” “All the players did well,” Kang Baek-ho said. “Korea’s pride Moon Dong-ju threw well, and at the end of the ninth inning, he trusted the best closer (Ko Woo-suk).” 스포츠토토
Looking back on the last process, he said, “This season has been really hard. “It was the most difficult time of my life from the process of coming to the national team to after coming here,” he said. “But thanks to good words from people around me, I was able to stand here again.” I’m really grateful to everyone,” he said.
