'WBC quarterfinal return home on a chartered plane' → Fans flocked to the airport even at dawn, how was the atmosphere on site... Director Ryu Ji-hyun said, "If I had to pick one MVP..." [Incheon Airport Site]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korean national baseball team, which gave impression and tears to baseball fans, returned home in good health.

The Korean baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun, returned home via Incheon International Airport on the morning of the 16th. The chartered flight carrying the national team's squad was originally scheduled to arrive at 4 a.m. that day. However, it landed at 5:20 a.m. due to a slight delay in departure from the stopover.

Prior to this, overseas players such as Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants), Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers), and Ko Woo-seok (Detroit Tigers), "Korean-born" Germai Jones (Detroit), Shay Witcom (Houston Astros), and Dane Dunning (Seattle Mariners) immediately disbanded from Miami and returned to their teams.

Despite the early hours, about 100 to 150 fans celebrated the arrival of the players at the airport site. There were no loud cheers and applause, but most of them busily moved their phones to capture the images of the players on camera.

The national team officially disbanded after taking commemorative photos as a group at the arrival hall for a short time. The team took a group shot with a banner prepared by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The banner reads, "We will not forget your support. I will repay you with change and hard work," it said.

The Korean baseball team achieved the feat of advancing to the second round for the first time in 17 years since the 2009 WBC tournament. The national team made a good start by winning the first round 11-4 against the Czech Republic in this tournament. However, they lost the Korea-Japan match 6-8. He then lost 4-5 after an extra-inning battle with Taiwan, and the disaster of elimination from the first round for four consecutive tournaments seemed to be approaching.

However, the national team won the final match of the first round 7-2 against Australia, breaking through the miraculously slim probability of "more than five points, less than two runs." Although they suffered a cold game defeat in the seventh inning with 0-10 showing their difference in skills in the quarterfinals against the Dominican Republic, fans applauded generously.

Players who returned to Korea will soon join their teams that are conducting exhibition games and show their fans.

Coach Ryu Ji-hyun, the head coach, told reporters shortly after returning home, "When I look back on the first round, there was joy and disappointment. I don't think I can forget the miraculous moment that Team Korea united in the last match against Australia in the first round. I think these are very good achievements," he said.

Coach Ryu then said, "I think in the second round, we took on the homework in the case of the Dominican Republic match, which didn't come out as much as we prepared." "I think it's a time to think about what kind of fostering the pitcher's side, from the national team to the overall professional baseball and amateur baseball," he added.

Asked about the story he specifically told the team after the match against Dominica, coach Ryu said, "We had a general meeting after the game. "You worked hard." I said, "Thank you." I don't think I've ever been able to do it in a good atmosphere without noise since the national team was formed as much as this time. "From November last year to March after Saipan training, I was happy and really grateful," he said.

When asked to select one MVP in particular, head coach Ryu said, "I feel sorry that Son Joo-young is not in one space until the end. Still, I always feel like 30 people did it together. Thank you all. In fact, it seems that the coaching staff, trainers, team doctors, field staff, and KBO employees all moved with the same mind. I was very grateful as a director, he said. "If I have to pick one, it's Noh Kyung-eun. The oldest did so many things Noh Kyung-eun did. He showed exemplary cases, ranging from bad things to results. As a coach, I was a very resonant player," he said, giving a thumbs-up.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.