×

South Korea blanks Canada in five

A closer look at the 10-0, five inning win by Seoul, South?Korea, over Vancouver, B.C., on Monday at Volunteer?Stadium.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Jungtaek Ru’s three-run 305-foot home run in the fourth inning gave South Korea a 6-0 lead. It hit a golf cart parked in the media lot and was as long as any blast this week.

SOUTH KOREA PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ru finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored and four RBIs.

CANADA PLAYER OF THE GAME: Stefano Dal Sasso had the only hit, a comebacker back to the mound in the fifth inning.

HOME RUNS: Besides Ru, Moosung Kim led off the fifth inning with a 255-foot shot to left-center and a 7-0 lead. Wontae Cho followed that two batters later with a 285-footer that cleared the service road behind right field but didn’t quite make the parking lot.

FLASHING LEATHER: Make it smokin’ leather. South Korean catcher Junseo Cho caught 15 strikeouts, including the first 13 Canadian hitters striking out.

BIG INNING: Korea put the mercy rule into effect with its four-run fifth inning on the heels of its four-run fourth inning highlighted by Ju’s home run. The only other South Korean players with defensive plays were first baseman Sangheon Park, who caught putouts after first-inning dropped third strikes, and relief pitcher Jaekyeong Kim, who fielded a comeback single in the fifth.

WHAT THE ADULTS SAY: South Korea’s Heesu Ji said he wasn’t letting pitchers Youbin Choi, Wontae Cho or Jaekyeong Kim go beyond 35 pitches to not only preserve them for Wednesday’s winners’ bracket final, but also for a possible elimination game Thursday should it lose the next one. “You have to keep your options open as much as possible.”

WHAT THE KIDS SAY: Ru didn’t know if he’d ever hit a 305-foot home run, and couldn’t guess if he’d ever hit one that long until the distance was converted to almost 95 meters. “That’s probably the first time I’ve ever done it like this,” Ru said through an interpreter.

WHAT IT MEANS: Korea advances to the winners’ bracket final on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Volunteer Stadium vs. Aguadulce, Panama. Canada drops into an elimination game vs. Mexico at 1 p.m. today at Volunteer Stadium.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today