"Going back to your country" Who will drop the value of the Korean national flag

*This content was translated by AI.

As the Korean national baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun (55), is on the verge of elimination for four consecutive tournaments, it is already noisy.

It was the beginning of some regrets for Jung Woo-joo (20·Hanwha Eagles), who hit a three-run home run against the Czech Republic in the first game on the 5th. Criticism intensified when Korea-Japan match Kim Young-kyu (26, NC Dinos) allowed two consecutive walks and a timely hit with two outs and runners on the first and third bases in the bottom of the seventh inning. On the 8th, the criticism reached its peak when Korea experienced a 4-5 loss to Taiwan in the 10th inning of extra time, which was considered a step lower by Korean fans.

In particular, some criticisms of Korean major leaguers, who were sluggish in the Japan-Taiwan match, went too far. Certainly, Korean Major League players' performance in the three finals is not satisfactory. After three hits in four at-bats against the Czech Republic (one home run) and two RBIs, Jermai Jones (29, Detroit Tigers) gradually lost his performance with two hits and two strikeouts in five at-bats against Japan and one strikeout in four at-bats against Taiwan.

Shay Witcom (28, Houston Astros) is also struggling to get on base with two hits in four at-bats against the Czech Republic (two homers), two strikeouts in four at-bats against Japan, and one hit in three at-bats against Taiwan. Dane Dunning (32, Seattle Mariners), who took the mound only against Taiwan, was sluggish with two hits (one homer) and one strikeout and two runs in one ⅔ inning.

The main opinion is why they brought him to a performance that did not meet the expectations of the fans. It's not just a judgment or a legitimate criticism of the result that was disappointing during the game. In addition to the negative public opinion formed in the online community, malicious comments such as "Go back to your country" and "He's throwing a trashy ball" are increasing on the player's personal SNS.

It's not the first time. Tommy Edman (31, Los Angeles Dodgers), who already wore the national flag as the first Korean major leaguer at the 2023 WBC, suffered a bout of measles. At that time, Edman did not play much with a batting average of 0.181 (2 hits in 11 at-bats) in three games and was attacked by some fans on social media about himself and his family.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, which have won two consecutive World Series titles, also had a winning percentage of 574. Given that baseball is a sport in which four out of 10 games are lost even if all-time players gather, it is difficult to understand the criticism caused by the sluggish performance of two games.

Moreover, Korean major leaguers wore the national flag with pride in their parents' country. Dunning grew up proud of Koreans under the teachings of her mother, Jeong Mi-soo. The Korean tattoo "same blood" that all three siblings engraved together was their pride. Witcom is a player who directly inquired about the possibility of being selected by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in accordance with the wish of his mother Yoon Hee Witcom.

Jones is a player who was not bound by his name and longed to be able to participate in the Korean national team as a substitute resource. The same goes for Riley O'Brien (31, St. Louis Cardinals), who was unfortunately absent due to injury. Major League scouts evaluate the KBO League at a mixed level of single A to triple A players. KBO, which has experienced the pain of being eliminated in the first round for three consecutive tournaments, had no reason to refuse the resources of active Korean major leaguers. For these players, "Go back to your country" as a result of two or three games is nothing short of an insult.

Of course, those two games were important to determine the top round, so it's not as if we can't understand the lackluster performance. However, both the match against Japan and Taiwan were the results of doing their best, not graduation. It's just that one day we weren't that good enough for our opponent. Criticism, not criticism, makes the national flag a burden, not pride. Criticism that goes beyond the process and results that can be sufficiently produced in many baseball games rather tarnishes the value of the Taegeuk mark. If the result of doing their best only comes back as an insult, there is no reason for them to put the national flag behind the fierce competition within the Major League teams.

The same applies to Korean players. Young players, who had a great disappointment in the 2023 WBC, have already advanced to the Major League or have grown into representative players leading the KBO League. And they wore the national flag again, bearing the burden of elimination in the first round of the three tournaments, pushing Japan, the favorite to win the tournament, to the end. It is thanks to the majority of fans who have enthusiastically cheered for them, leaving behind their disappointment in the 2023 tournament.

The Korean national team will have an important match soon at Tokyo Dome in Japan at 7 p.m. over a flight to Australia and the U.S. It's time to resume cheering for them again.

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*This content was translated by AI.