"Let's go to Miami." The 'M ceremony' that the U.S. also paid attention to, the batting line is the strongest ever! The bullpen is...

*This content was translated by AI.

When I opened the lid, it exceeded my expectations. The Czech Republic, a relatively weak team, was the opponent, but Korea's firepower surprised the world.

The Korean baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun (55), won 11-4 in the first Group C match of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) against the Czech Republic at Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 5th.

His firepower with four home runs was outstanding. Moon Bo-kyung (LG)'s grand slam, which gave him a win early on, was the most decisive factor, but Korean-born player Shay Witcombe (Houston)'s consecutive home run and a shot by Germay Jones (Detroit) also contributed to raising expectations for his advance to the second round.

South Korea, which made it to the semifinals in its first tournament in 2006, finished second in 2009 and had its heyday. However, he suffered from elimination from the group stage for the third consecutive time.

The KBO League opened the era of 12 million spectators, but it was still feeling a sense of crisis. In particular, there was a consensus that disappointing results should never be produced at international competitions held in this situation.

We prepared an unprecedented first camp. The weather raised his condition in Saipan, where the weather was mild. Since then, coach Ryu Ji-hyun and other national team coaching staff have repeatedly emphasized "Miami." He was determined to pass the group stage and head to Miami in the U.S.

Nevertheless, Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha) and Won Tae-in (Samsung) fell out due to unexpected injuries, making the mound sloppy. However, from the first game of the group stage, they had hope that they could erase their weaknesses with strong firepower.

MLB.COM, the official website of the Major League Baseball (MLB), also introduced a special ceremony by reporting the news of Korea's victory in the first game.

Moon Bo-kyung, who gave the national team a victory by hitting a grand slam in the first inning, performed an airplane ceremony around the base, and in front of the dugout, he was happy with an M-shaped balloon prepared in advance.

Both ceremonies contain the will to go to Miami. It means that it will pass through the group stage and fly to the United States, and "M" means that the destination is Miami.

MLB.COM said, "The Korean national team has set only one goal by participating in the WBC at Tokyo Dome this week," adding, "It is to advance to the quarterfinals in Miami after the tournament." That's why he performed a ceremony as if he spread his wings whenever he hit a home run," he said.

Airplane ceremonies are a common action among Korean players in this year's event. Contrary to MLB.COM's explanation, he is celebrating while looking at the dugout not only after a home run but also after a hit. As such, it shows that the thoughts of advancing to the second round have come together.

MLB.COM explained, "Moon Bo-kyung's home run was the first of the four home runs recorded by the Korean national team," adding, "Witcom hit two home runs in his WBC debut, raising the possibility of being promoted to MLB."

Witcombe and Jones, who expressed their honor to play in the Korean national team uniform for their mother in the country where their mother was born, swung the bat from the first game.

According to MLB.COM, head coach Ryu Ji-hyun said, "Our batters should continue to swing hard," adding, "This is the key message of today's game."

Witcom is also full of confidence. "Our players are really good," he said. "All of them have excellent batting skills and strong batters. It's going to be a really fun competition," he said.

In fact, the batting lineup is better than expected. Not only Moon Bo-kyung, Witcombe and Jones, but also Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco) also drew a multi-hit and a walk, and Ahn Hyun-min (KT), the fourth batter, played multiple hits and walks. Park Dong-won (LG) and Kim Joo-won (NC) also reported hits. Kim Do-young (KIA), who had to be satisfied with the walk, is also a batter with the potential to explode at any time.

However, the bullpen is still somewhat unstable. Jung Woo-joo (Hanwha) allowed three runs on two hits (one homer), and Yoo Young-chan (LG) left a regret with one hit and one run, including a walk. While the hot lineup is being highlighted as a strength, how much the bullpen, which left a task due to unstable control in the warm-up match, can play its role is expected to be an unsettling factor and a big variable in the tournament.

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*This content was translated by AI.