Ryu Ji-hyun, who was angry at the persistent question "Did the gap narrow?" said, "I will only talk about today's game and WBC.""

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korean baseball team suffered a disappointing defeat after a close game against its archrival Japan. At an official press conference following the game, coach Ryu Ji-hyun declined to say, "I will focus only on today's game," when asked repeatedly by Japanese reporters.

The Korean national baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun, lost 6-8 to Japan in the second Group C match of 2026 WBC at Tokyo Dome, Japan on the 7th. Led 3-0 and allowed a 3-5 upset, but followed well to 5-5. Unfortunately, he gave up three runs in the seventh inning.

With the loss, South Korea maintained its third place in the group with one win and one loss. Japan beat Australia, which won two games in a row, to second place to become No. 1 in the group.

The match was decided in the seventh inning with a score of 5-5. It was painful to see the scene where he allowed a turnaround with a walk to right-hander Park Young-hyun and left-hander Kim Young-kyu, and then gave up two more points. In response, coach Ryu Ji-hyun, who entered the press conference, said, "I thought Kim Young-kyu's content was very good in the Czech Republic. Ohtani and Kondo left-handed hitters saw Kim Young-kyu as the pitcher who could cut them off if there was a crisis. I don't think these parts went their way," he said.

Questions from Japanese reporters also followed. A Japanese media day question was asked, "Do you think the gap between Korea and Japan has narrowed?" citing the reduced score gap compared to the 2023 WBC showdown (4-13 defeat) three years ago. In response, head coach Ryu avoided answering, saying, "I don't think it's right to mention the 23-year-old WBC here."

Did he want to be checked again. Asked how different he sees from Japanese baseball again, Ryu said, "I took over as manager in February 2025 and have led the team for a year," and added, "I will not comment on comparisons or gaps with the past. I only want to talk about today's game," he said. "Our players showed sufficient competitiveness against Japan today and the flow of attack was good. Now, it is first to go into the accommodation and prepare for the next game, the match against Taiwan," he stressed.

Leaving the disappointment of the Korea-Japan match defeat behind, South Korea is now facing a fateful battle with Taiwan and Australia. Coach Ryu strengthened his will to win, saying, "I will do my best to produce good results in the rest of the game."

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*This content was translated by AI.