The reason Korea lost 7-8 in the first round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) group stage against Australia on the 9th was due to two 3-run home runs. In particular, allowing the second three-point home run was decisive.
At the beginning of the 8th inning, when Korea was trailing by 4-5, 1 point, Yang Hyeon-jong made a relief mound in a situation where there was no runner. It was intended to prevent additional runs by raising veteran Yang Hyeon-jong. However, contrary to expectations, Yang Hyeon-jong was hit by the first batter and hit by a double by the second batter, putting him in a crisis with one company on second and third base.
If it was a short-term game in the KBO League, national team coach Lee Kang-cheol would have changed the pitcher. However, Yang Hyeon-jong continued to keep the mound, and eventually threw a 144 km/h fastball to the third batter, Robbie Perkins, and was hit with a 3-run home run. A flat fastball high on his body led to a long hit.토토사이트
This was not because Lee and other coaches intentionally left Hyeon-jong Yang alone, but because of the ‘minimum three batters’ rule in the WBC. According to this rule, introduced from this tournament, a pitcher who has reached the mound once can be replaced after facing at least three batters or during an inning shift. In other words, during the innings, you can’t steel until you face three batters. As a rule to speed up the game by reducing pitcher replacement, MLB has been implementing it since 2020.
Because of this rule, even though Yang Hyeon-jong was hit by two batters in a row, Korea could not change the pitcher, which eventually led to a home run. As soon as Yang Hyeon-jong hit a home run by the third batter, he was replaced by Lee Yong-chan, but it was already 4-8 and the defeat was dark.
Coach Lee Kang-cheol was worried about the three-batter compulsory opponent rule during training in Arizona last month. He also said, “I am contemplating whether a pitcher who lacks pitches will be put in the 1st or 2nd company.” Coach Lee’s uneasy premonition came true in his first game.