▲ South Korean players take a bow to their fans after losing to Australia 8-7 in a Pool B game at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on March 9, 2023. (Yonhap)
▲ South Korean manager Lee Kang-chul awaits the result of a video replay during a Pool B game against Australia at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on March 9, 2023. (Yonhap)
▲ South Korean players walk off the field after losing to Australia in Pool B at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on March 9, 2023. (Yonhap)

(WBC) S Korea loss-manager

(WBC) S. Korea manager asks team to put stunning opening loss behind

By Yoo Jee-ho

TOKYO, March 9 (Yonhap) -- As tough as it may be to shake off a shocking 8-7 loss to Australia to begin the World Baseball Classic (WBC) on Thursday, South Korean manager Lee Kang-chul urged his players to put the result behind them as soon as possible.

It will be a quick turnaround for South Korea in Pool B, with the must-win game against world No. 1 Japan coming up at 7 p.m. Friday at Tokyo Dome.

"I think the players did their best in this game," Lee said. "Though we trailed early on, we managed to make it close because the guys who were supposed to hit got the job done. I think we should be able to head into the next game in solid form."

South Korea trailed 2-0 early before taking a 3-2 lead behind Yang Eui-ji's three-run bomb. With a 4-2 lead, reliever Kim Won-jung surrendered a three-run home run to Robbie Glendinning, and then Robbie Perkins added a three-run shot of his own for an 8-4 Australia lead.

South Korea got three runs back in the bottom eighth but couldn't get any closer.

South Korea now faces an unenviable task of having to beat Japan just to have a chance to reach the quarterfinals, open to the top two nations from the group. The Czech Republic and China are the two other countries in Pool B, where Japan is favored and Australia took a giant step toward grabbing a ticket to the last eight, too.

"Since we've lost this first game, we have to go all-in on all remaining games," Lee said. "The Korea-Japan rival game is always special, and we absolutely have to take the game."

Lee said veteran left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun will start Friday's game.

"I felt we needed a veteran pitcher to set the tone in early innings," Lee said of the 34-year-old with a glowing international resume. "I know Japan knows him well, but I had to go with someone with his level of experience."

Kim will be countered by San Diego Padres ace Yu Darvish.

"I've watched Darvish for a long time, and he's an excellent pitcher," Lee said. "We'll stay focused on winning the game and staying aggressive to create scoring opportunities."

Lee had long circled the Australia game as the must-win contest and used seven out of his 15 pitchers in the loss.

"We have a night game tomorrow, so we have enough time to recover," Lee said. "Everyone who is able to pitch will be standing by."

Thursday's loss featured a frustrating gaffe on the base paths.

With South Korea trailing 5-4 in the seventh, pinch hitter Kang Baek-ho smacked a line drive off the left-center field wall. He sprinted into second base for an apparent double, but as he fist-pumped toward the dugout to celebrate the hit, his foot came off the bag. Second baseman Glendinning had the presence of mind to put the tag on unbeknownst Kang, who was called out after a video replay.

The next batter, Yang Eui-ji, hit what would have been a game-tying single, had Kang stayed on the bag. Perkins hit that decisive three-run shot in the top eighth for Australia.

"Kang Baek-ho got a big hit, but I think he was celebrating a bit too prematurely," Lee said. "We have to play another game tomorrow, so I hope he forgets about this and gets ready for the next game."

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