The misunderstanding caused by a single word led to interest throughout the tournament.
Ko Woo-seok (27, LG Twins) was selected for the WBC (World Baseball Classic) national team and was asked about his confrontation with Japanese national team Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels) in an interview with a media outlet.
Go Woo-seok said, “I want to play head-to-head. 먹튀검증 I think I’ll hit a home run if I throw it in the middle. If I really have no place to throw on the mound, I’ll hit the spot that doesn’t hurt and send it out and play the next batter.”
This remark caused a great stir. In fact, Ko Woo-seok’s intention was not to mean ‘beanball’ seriously. Rather, he had a strong sense of acknowledging Ohtani’s skills.
However, the Japanese media reacted sharply to Go Woo-seok’s words, saying, “I want you to fight with respect.”
During the WBC tournament, Ko Woo-suk was constantly mentioned in the Japanese media. Go Woo-seok complained of symptoms of choking in his neck during the match against the Orix Buffaloes on the 6th. A medical examination revealed that he was not seriously injured, but he never appeared in the WBC.
Even for the Korean national team, Ko Woo-seok’s departure was painful. As the limited finisher, who recorded 42 saves and an ERA of 1.48 last year, broke away, there were not enough pitchers to break the flow of the opponent in the match. In the end, Korea’s mound collapsed, and they failed to advance to the quarterfinals with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses. I had a terrible report card of failing to advance to the quarterfinals in three consecutive tournaments.
When Go Woo-seok’s pitching failed, the Japanese media once again took an interest. On the 13th, Japan’s ‘Sponichi Annex’ delivered the news that Korea defeated China 22-2, and said, ‘Ko Woo-seok, the finishing pitcher who garnered attention by intentionally making a dead-ball remark to Ohtani, finished the tournament without pitching’.
The media continued, ‘I did not pitch in three games against Australia on the 9th, against Japan on the 10th, and against the Czech Republic on the 12th, and did not climb the mound on this day (against China on the 13th). Korea and China were eliminated in the first round of the tournament three times in a row. Go Woo-seok finished the tournament without a single appearance,’ he once again highlighted.
Meanwhile, Korea, which failed to advance to the quarterfinals, will return home through Incheon International Airport on the 14th.