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Korea beat Japan to take first place in the regional finals of the World Baseball Classic, gaining a chance to face off against the U.S. and other teams later this month in California.
In a highly charged atmosphere with some 40,000 spectators at the Tokyo Dome Sunday night, the Korean team celebrated their 3-to-2 victory against Asian baseball heavyweight Japan. The Korean team stunned host Japan with solid pitching, a game-saving catch and a home run.
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Korean players celebrate after defeating Japan during the World Baseball Classic Asian round against Japan at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Sunday.
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Lee Seung-yeop, who holds the Asian record for the most homeruns in a season, used his experience in Japan's Pacific League to torment his hosts with a two-run shot in the top of the eighth inning. "When two previous bats ended without much result, I thought to myself, if our team loses, it's my fault. This made me stay focused on the ball, and that eventually led to a good batting." Lee said.
Other key players were left-hander Koo Dae-sung who pitched two strong innings and Park Chan-ho of the San Diego Padres. Korea scored their first run in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by Lee Byung-kyu.
It was a sweet victory for the Korean team but the defeat was a difficult one to accept for many Japanese as they always considered themselves as Asia'a number one in baseball. In February, Japan's star player Ichiro Suzuki was quoted as urging his teammates to deliver a humiliating defeat to the Koreans. Japanese media described their players as being in a state of shock over the loss and seeking to redeem their baseball pride in the next round of the inaugural 16-team tournament starting Sunday.
Korea and the runner-up Japan will face off against Pool B including the United States, Mexico, Canada and South Africa.
Arirang News
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