Kang Baek-ho (24), KT’s leading hitter, bowed his head once again about the mistakes he made in the 2023 WBC (World Baseball Classic).
Kang Baek-ho, who overcame the 2022 season sluggishness and the pain of salary cuts, made every effort to prepare for the WBC. Did the special training at the American spring camp work? Kang Baek-ho played in all the WBC Round 1 Group B preliminary matches (4 games) and hit 50% (7 hits in 14 at-bats) with 2 RBIs and an OPS of 1.143. He recorded the highest batting average among players who played more than 10 at-bats in the national team, beating outstanding seniors such as Lee Jung-hoo, Yang Eui-ui, and Park Kun-woo.
But Kang Baek-ho couldn’t help but laugh. In the first game against Australia, which was regarded as a watershed for advancing to the quarterfinals, he caused public outrage with the so-called ‘ceremony’. He poured cold water on the pursuit atmosphere with his unprofessional bonehead play, and after the game he became a mockery of world baseball.
Kang Baek-ho, who started the match against Australia from the bench, took the bat with a pinch hitter from Choi Jeong-in after one out in the 7th inning, trailing 4-5. Afterwards, he hit the changeup on the third pitch of Australian pitcher Warwick Suppold in 2B-0S and connected it with a double.
The problem was: While holding a ceremony while looking at the third base dugout while in play, his foot fell off the second base for a while, and in the meantime, he was knocked out by second baseman Robbie Glendining’s glove tag. The initial judgment was safe, but after reading the video, it was confirmed that the tag was made the moment the foot fell, and the name was unfamiliar to the ceremony. As the follow-up Yang Eui-ji hit, Kang Baek-ho’s regret and reprimand for his mistakes grew.
Kang Baek-ho, whom we met against Doosan in Suwon on the 20th, said, “It’s a pity. I am so sorry,” he sighed, “My personal grades were fine, but I am very sorry and sorry that I showed a bad side of myself. I am still reflecting on it,” he said. In fact, rather than losing because I didn’t prepare well or because I couldn’t play, the result came out that way. No matter what happens, regret will always remain. Even if I win the game, I still feel regret.”
It is bound to mature as much as it hurts.안전놀이터 Kang Baek-ho grew up again through this WBC, and expanded his knowledge by dealing with countries with the most elite power. He said, “If you look at the players on TV right now, they are honestly cool. And I played with them. There was a lot to learn from watching the athletes representing each country. My eyes grew a lot and I saw a lot of good balls,” he explained.
However, Kang Baek-ho’s face quickly darkened when he pointed out his income. Kang Baek-ho said, “Nevertheless, I was disappointed with the Taegeuk mark this time. I’m sorry.” He bowed his head again.