Lee Seung-yeop (47), coach of the Doosan Bears, and Munetaka Murakami (23), who led Japan to the championship with a chilling parallelism theory, shared their impressions of the victory.
Murakami started as the 5th batter and 3rd baseman in the 2023 WBC Finals against the United States held at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida on the 22nd (Korean time), and fired a solo home run that tied the score at the end of the second inning and won Japan 3-2 towed to 메이저사이트
On this day, Murakami entered the plate as the lead batter in the second inning and hit a home run. He caught American starter Merrill Kelly’s 92.4 mph (148 km) four-seamer and turned it into a home run over the right-center fence. He was dragged 0-1 and saved the sluggish atmosphere with the same store, laying the foundation for a come-from-behind victory.
Murakami led the team to a dramatic come-from-behind final by hitting an ending hit in the semifinals the day before (21st). At the end of the ninth inning, which was trailing 4-5 at the time, Murakami, who entered the plate with 1st and 2nd base unharmed, hit a double at the right time with 2 RBIs, leading the team to a come-from-behind victory.
Previously, Murakami fell into extreme sluggishness and was unable to play his role. He was consistently used in the center of the batting line, but lowered his head with a batting average of 0.190 (4 hits in 21 at-bats), 0 homers, 3 RBIs and 11 strikeouts. However, he became Japan’s winning hero when he hit a game-ending hit in the semifinals and even hit a home run to tie the game in the final.
At this point, there is one person that comes to mind. It is Lee Seung-yeop’s coach at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At the time, coach Lee Seung-yeop was sluggish with a batting average of 0.130 (3 hits in 22 at-bats) in 7 qualifying games, and also recorded a double hit in the semifinal against Japan and bowed his head. However, he splendidly revived by shooting 2 runs in the 8th inning and led the team to victory by shooting 2 first runs in the final. At that time, the final score was also 3-2 victory. It looked exactly like Murakami at the WBC this time.
Murakami hit 56 home runs in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) last year, writing a new history in Japanese professional baseball. The 56 home runs are also closely related to Lee Seung-yeop. Lee Seung-yeop hit 56 home runs in 2003, setting the Asian record for most home runs in a single season. Murakami also stood shoulder to shoulder with Lee Seung-yeop, hitting the 56th home run high.
According to a number of Japanese media outlets, including the Mainichi Shimbun and Sponichi Arrex, after confirming the championship, Murakami said, “I had to follow up quickly in a situation where I gave up one point first. He is happy to catch up with a home run,” he said with tears in his eyes. He replied, “I am very happy that I became the world’s best, which I was aiming for,” to the reporter’s comment, “It is meaningful because it is a home run connected to the world’s best (championship).”
But there was also time for reflection. It was regret for the extreme sluggishness at the beginning of the tournament. Murakami said, “There are feelings of joy, but there are also feelings of resentment.”