 |
| Kim Hye-seong / Photo: Getty Images |
Korean-American slugger Shea Whitcomb goes yard twice in WBC opener
Team Korea kicked off their 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) campaign with a bang, facing off against the Czech Republic in the first game of Pool C at the Tokyo Dome on March 5th.
The Korean bats came alive early, with Moon Bo-kyung launching a grand slam in the bottom of the first to set the tone. The offensive onslaught continued in the second as Park Dong-won doubled and Kim Joo-won singled, setting up an RBI groundout from Jones to extend the lead.
Whitcomb joined the home run party in the third, crushing a solo shot to left field off Czech reliever Barto, pushing Korea’s advantage to 6-0.
The Czechs showed some fight in the fifth, with Babra connecting on a three-run homer off Jeong Woo-ju to narrow the gap. However, Whitcomb answered right back in the bottom half of the inning, smashing his second homer of the game – this time a two-run blast.
Korea put the game out of reach in the seventh. An Hyun-min led off with a single and advanced to second on an error. After a pinch-running substitution, Moon Bo-kyung drove in another run with a timely hit. The rally continued as Whitcomb’s fly ball advanced a runner, setting up Kim Hye-seong’s RBI groundout to make it 10-3.
As the game entered the late innings, Korea maintained their commanding 10-3 lead, looking to close out a strong opening performance in the tournament.
[By Shin Seo-young, Sports Today sports@stoo.com]
「The closest and most fun news ⓒ Sports Today」
Most Commented