Korea collapse in middle innings for big 13-4 loss to Japan

Baseball

Published: 10 Mar. 2023, 23:21 Updated: 10 Mar. 2023, 23:24

Korea collapse in middle innings for big 13-4 loss to Japan

Korean starter Kim Kwang-hyun throws a pitch at the bottom of the first inning of a World Baseball Classic game against Japan at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Friday. [YONHAP]

Korea lost their second straight game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic on Friday night, taking a tough 13-4 defeat to old rivals Japan as pitching problems quickly undercut a brief early lead.

Korea started well in the opening few frames at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, with starter Kim Kwang-hyun throwing five strikeouts — including Shohei Ohtani swinging — in the first two innings. The visitors were also quickest off the mark at bat, taking a brief three-run lead at the top of the third before falling behind.

But pitching proved to be a huge concern throughout the game, with the Korean bullpen collapsing in the middle innings as the runs rapidly piled up. Ten different pitchers had appeared for Korea by the end of the seventh, when Korea came perilously close to being forced to retire early due to the WBC’s mercy rules.

At the WBC, if a team is 10 runs down by the end of the seventh inning the game ends. Korea went down nine runs with two outs and the bases loaded, but a fly out saved the visitors from the humiliation of an early exit.

After a quiet opening two innings, Korea jumped ahead at the top of the third, when Kang Baek-ho hit a double — and remembered to keep a foot on the bag while celebrating — with Yang Eui-ji’s follow up home run bringing both runners home.

Yang Eui-ji reacts after hitting a two-run home run at the top of the third inning of a World Baseball Classic game against Japan at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Kim Ha-seong then reached second on a throwing error, with a Lee Jung-hoo single bringing the speedy shortstop home.

Korea’s lead did not last, however, with Japan piling on with four runs at the bottom of the third to end Kim Kwang-hyun’s spell on the mound.

Things quietened down again in the fourth, but the peace did not last long. Japan added two more in the fifth including a Kensuke Kondoh solo home run, with Park Kun-woo pulling one back for Korea to make it 6-4 at the top of the sixth with a big fly of his own.

Korea’s collapse at the bottom of the sixth was swift and painful. Takumu Nakano started things off with a triple, kicking off a huge five-run inning that pushed Japan up to 11-4, effectively taking Korea out of the game.

Japan's Shohei Ohtani reacts during a World Baseball Classic Pool B round game against Korea at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Friday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Pitching was a real issue in the sixth, with two walks, a hit by pitch and a lot of loud contact allowing Japan to continue to comfortably extend their lead.

Japan added two more at the bottom of the seventh as Korea continued to rattle through pitchers, with Lee Eui-lee giving away a run on a wild pitch and then walking in another during his brief time on the mound.

Lee came perilously close to forcing his whole team to an early shower before he was pulled with the bases loaded, two outs and one run to go before the mercy rule kicked in. Park Se-woong fared better, keeping Korea alive — for better or worse — for two more innings.

Park stayed on for the eighth, shutting down Japan quickly to give his batting lineup one last chance to score at least nine runs at the top of the ninth to stay in the game.

Korea, unsurprisingly, were unable to pull off that feat, going down in order at the top of the ninth to end the game at a disappointing 13-4.

With the loss, Korea drops to the bottom of Pool B with very little chance of making it back up to the knockout stage qualification spots. Not only will Korea need to win both of their remaining games, but they’ll also need both Australia and the Czech Republic to lost at least two of theirs, ideally by some significant margins.

Korea get a day off for some much-needed rest on Saturday before returning to Tokyo Dome at midday on Sunday to face the Czech Republic and hopefully earn their first W of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]