Team Korea’s Defense Is a Hit

Korean right fielder Lee Jin-yeong felt a shock as his body hit the ground after a diving catch, but his pain turned into pleasure as soon as he felt the ball snugly resting in his glove.

Team Korea’s six straight victories in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) were greatly aided by the defensive efforts of fielders like Lee. Team Korea made no errors in seven WBC games, the only team to go errorless in the tournament.

Korea’s defense did much to change perceptions of Korean baseball in the eyes of baseball fans all over the world. Instead of being represented by a few Major League players, Korean baseball was represented by its non-major leaguers in the WBC as well, and they did their job wonderfully.

Lee Jin-yeong’s defense-

Lee (SK) performed brilliantly in the first and second round matches against Japan. “Lee’s good defense defeated us twice in a row,” Japanese manager Sadaharu Oh said. Although Lee was not particularly effective with the bat, he was invited to numerous press conferences thanks to the impression he made with his defense. In yesterday’s semifinal game against Japan, Lee made another difficult catch at the edge of the right field fence.

Shortstop Park Jin-man earned accolades as well as the tourney’s best infielder, ranging to turn a number of would-be base hits into outs. Lee Beom-ho and Kim Min-jae, whose pro club salaries are among the lowest in Korea, made their presence felt on defense as well.

The defensive efforts of Korea’s fielders have also added a wrinkle to the traditional Korean emphasis on slugging and pitching.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com