Will the WBC restore its honor?
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics was an ordeal for Kang Baek-ho (21), KT Wiz’s leading hitter. After chewing gum once, he became the center of controversy. It was a game that was criticized for a defeat that amounted to a disaster, failing in the bronze medal match against the Dominican Republic on August 2. All of a sudden, in the dugout in the top of the 8th inning, where the score was 6-10, chewing gum was caught on the TV screen.
KBS commentator Park Chan-ho, who was commentating, said, “No. Even if it’s hard, we shouldn’t show what we shouldn’t show. We have to keep fighting like crazy.” The match ended in defeat, and Kang Baek-ho quickly turned into a player with low mental strength and was hit by crossfire from public opinion. Kang Baek-ho, who played hard throughout the game, felt unfair. The only sin was chewing gum incorrectly once during the pitching shift.
Kang Baek-ho was unable to regain his strength after returning to Korea. In the first half, he was a genius hitter who raised his batting average to 3.9 and 5. and exceeded .40. However, in the second half after his return, he only earned 2.9 pun 4. There was also the aftermath of his palm injury. His slugging power and on-base percentage also fell. He had an OPS of 1.071 in the first half, but fell to 0.860 in the second half. Still, in the Korean series, he recorded a batting average of 50% and became his first winning credit. 토토사이트
The 2022 season received the worst report card since its debut. During the demonstration game, he suffered a fracture in his right pinky toe, which hindered his preparation for the opening game. Moreover, in July, he suffered a hamstring injury and left again. He only made 62 appearances. He had a batting average of just 2.4, 5.6, 6 homers and 29 RBI. He took an OPS of 0.686. He wasn’t a genius hitter who hit more than .33 for three consecutive years. Due to Kang Baek-ho’s sluggish performance, the team pulled up to 4th place.
Although he could not get out of the swamp of sluggishness in the 2022 season, he was proudly included in the final 30 members of the 5th World Baseball Classic (WBC) competition held in March. He became part of the Dream Team for the third time in a row following the 2009 Premier 12 and the Tokyo Olympics. His sluggishness last year was temporary and was a selection that reflected the belief that he would be able to display his unique genius in skill and strength.
Due to various reasons, the WBC tournament is different for Kang Baek-ho. It is a stage that can resolve the regret of the Tokyo Olympics. It is also a place of rebound where you can build up the crumpled pride of last year’s leading hitter. If you show the strength of young Korean hitters with Lee Jung-hoo, the national team’s performance and future will be that much brighter. Kang Baek-ho’s rebound is also a good thing for KT. The rebound of a genius hitter has many meanings.