Korea-Japan match 'ceremony' war to heat up → 'airplane vs a cup of tea'... If you do more, you win!

*This content was translated by AI.

It's time for fate. South Korea and Japan, the "rival of old age," will face off in an inevitable head-to-head match at Tokyo Dome. However, the focus of this Korea-Japan match is not just baseball games. The "outdoor fight" on the base, the so-called ceremony war, is expected to heat up the Tokyo Dome.

The South Korean national baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun (55), will face Japan in the second round of Group C in the first round of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) at Tokyo Dome, Japan, at 7 p.m. on the 7th.

Since both South Korean and Japanese teams showed off their formidable firepower to score 11 and 13 points, respectively, in the game ahead of both teams, who steps on the base more and makes the "victory move" in the game on the 7th may determine the direction of the game.

South Korea finished preheating with an 11-4 victory over the Czech Republic on the 5th. Starting with Moon Bo-kyung's grand slam in the first inning, the players extended their arms as if they were doing something to shape the plane. It's a ceremony for a private jet to Miami.

The 'proposer' of the ceremony is Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha Eagles). Noh Si-hwan said, "(Lee) Jung-hoo gathered the fielders and asked for ideas. It's a ceremony that I pushed strongly. At first, everyone was embarrassed because of the big movements, but we pushed hard, saying that the promising baseball players like it if we do it well. Everyone does it now," he said in a behind-the-scenes story. It is a move that contains South Korea's desperation to go to Miami, where the quarterfinals and final rounds will be held. If you hit a home run and come into the dugout, you will be given a balloon with an "M" shape. It is M, which means Miami.

Japan is also celebrating with a formidable momentum. Japan, which won the cold game 13-0 in the seventh inning against Taiwan on the 6th, showed a "tea (茶) performance" of politely drinking tea on the base. According to multiple Japanese media such as Sponichi Annex, it embodies the traditional Japanese tea ceremony of holding a tea bowl and drinking it twice.

The idea was presented by right-hander Koki Kitayama (27, Nippon-Ham Fighters), and was accepted by "superstar" and "Nippon-Ham senior" Shohei Ohtani (32) and spread throughout the team. In particular, Ohtani was also considered to be an actual beverage company's tea advertising model. Yamamoto Yoshinobu (28, LA Dodgers), a starting pitcher against Taiwan on the 6th, emphasized Japan's unique solidarity, saying, "This pose creates a sense of unity for the team." In fact, Ohtani showed a ceremony of drinking tea deliciously after hitting a grand slam on the 6th.

In the end, the number of ceremonies will soon be an indicator of getting on base and scoring. South Korea is determined to explode its batters once again using Ko Young-pyo (35, KT Wiz)'s elaborate control. On the other hand, Japan is trying to tie up the Korean right-handed hitter with Yusei Kikuchi (35, LA Angels) and drink "Tea of Victory" at home.

South Korea, which wants to fly to Miami, and Japan, which strengthens solidarity with traditional etiquette. Baseball fans around the world are expected to focus on who will take more "victory poses" on the Tokyo Dome base tonight.

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*This content was translated by AI.