Fate of Korea-Japan War → Otani must face Ohtani! "Let's stop longing for today"

*This content was translated by AI.

The scariest enemy in the world of competition is not the opponent's ability, but the 'honkyeong' toward the opponent.

Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers) shouted to his teammates in the locker room of the Japanese national team just before the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final against the U.S. in March 2023 drew worldwide attention. To his teammates of the national team, he said, "Let's stop longing for today. You can't beat (the opponent) if you yearn for it," he stressed. Ohtani's words, "Don't look up to the superstars of the U.S. Major League Baseball, but only think of victory," led Japan to the top of the world.

What the Korean national team needs ahead of its doomed Korea-Japan match at 7 p.m. on the 7th is not to admire Ohtani's ability, but to stand proudly in front of a huge wall called Ohtani. In fact, Ohtani is a symbol of modern baseball and a cartoon-like existence. He was an idol and subject of research that he had only seen in major league broadcasts. However, the moment you look up to your opponent at the match, the game is bound to end before it even begins.

In fact, Ohtani is likely to play as the designated hitter in this tournament. Due to the request of the Los Angeles Dodgers, there is no pitching or outfield defense. At the same time, it is very likely that he will be the first hitter in the match against Korea and Japan on the 7th.

Japan's bat, which played its first group qualifying match against Taiwan on the 6th, was much stronger than expected. Ohtani's batting sense was simply "crazy." The grand slam hit against Taiwanese starter Chung Ha-jun in the top of the second inning, 0-0, ignited the firepower of Japanese fans who filled the Tokyo Dome. Ohtani overwhelmed the opposing pitcher just by taking the batter's box. Taiwan's pitchers collapsed without hesitation due to pressure that they would create a positive hit wherever they threw. He missed the game after recording three hits in four at-bats without completing only three hits including a home run, a double and a single.

Currently, Korean baseball is in the deep quagmire of losing 10 consecutive games against Japan. To put it bluntly, it is not easy for pitchers to completely block Japan's powerful firepower. Then the answer is one. You have to go head-to-head with a 'hit battle' rather than a 'pitcher battle'. Fortunately, our batters were also able to confirm their cohesion in the match against the Czech Republic.

Although the Japanese mound is high, there is certainly an opportunity to fight back with the bat. The Korean national team also has three major league players as of the match against the Czech Republic on the 5th. In addition, Japan also had as many as three players from the national team, including Tyra Kaima (Seibu Lions), Ishi's Daichi (Hanshin Tigers), and Matsui Yuki (San Diego Padres), due to injuries.

Some say that they should strategically relax in the match against Japan and then do their best in the match against Taiwan. However, a key player of the national team said, "I don't care because I only want to win when I play in the game."

The door to victory opens only when you look at Ohtani as an object of a match that must be ruled out, not as an object of longing. In the 2006 WBC, Ichiro Suzuki (then a member of the Seattle Mariners) also overpowered Japan, which was holding out. Can Ohtani's "Giving Up on Tokyo," which he taught himself, be the key to breaking the 10-game losing streak in Korean baseball. At 7 p.m. on the 7th, the real game with the pride of Korean baseball will begin.

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*This content was translated by AI.