Before South Korea played a win-or-go-home game against Australia at the World Baseball Classic on Monday, team captain Lee Jung-hoo gathered his teammates in a huddle for a pregame speech.
The meeting hardly seemed solemn, despite what was at stake for South Korea as it was seeking a trip to the quarterfinals.
A loss would have eliminated the team from knockout contention for the fourth consecutive WBC. A South Korea win would create a tiebreaking situation with Australia and Chinese Taipei, and South Korea had to win by at least five runs and limit Australia to two or fewer runs.
Odds seemed stacked against South Korea, and yet Lee flashed a small grin as he told his teammates, "We can do this."
Then South Korea went out and did it, beating Australia 7-2 with Lee delivering a crucial hit early on before making a tournament-saving diving catch in right field in the bottom of the ninth inning to preserve the five-run margin.
"When we went into the bottom of the ninth after scoring our seventh run in the top of the ninth, that was the most nervous moment of my baseball career," Lee said moments after South Korea's victory. "This win was thanks to every member of this team."
Lee's teammates would argue their captain had a major role.
Lee's third-inning double gave South Korea a 3-0 lead, and Lee himself would score the team's fourth run later in the same frame.
Then in the top of the ninth, Lee stepped in with a man at first and one out, his team up by 6-2. South Korea needed at least one more run or its dreams of making it to the knockouts for the first time since 2009 would be shattered.
Lee chopped a groundball that seemed headed straight toward shortstop Jarryd Dale for what could have been an inning-ending, tournament-ending double play for South Korea. But pitcher Jack O'Loughlin got a piece of the ball with his glove, and the ball slowed as it changed its direction slightly.
Dale picked up the ball but then made an awkward toss to second baseman Travis Bazzana. The ball sailed past Bazzana and into right field, allowing the runner, Park Hae-min, to easily advance to third.
It set up Ahn Hyun-min's sacrifice fly that provided the necessary margin of win for South Korea.
"I would've ended up being a scapegoat in a disaster," Lee said. "I don't even want to imagine how that play would have turned out if the ball didn't go off the pitcher's glove. I think luck was on our side."
Lee said he also got lucky with the catch he made just minutes later.
Australia had a runner at first when Rixon Wingrove sent a line drive toward right-center field. Lee started the game in center field but had just shifted over to right field as Park, the team's best defensive outfielder, took over in the middle.
"At two strikes, I had shifted toward the right-center gap, and the ball came in that direction," Lee said. "As soon as the ball was hit, I thought about catching it no matter what. The ball was a little bit in the lights, but I got lucky that I was able to make the catch."
Lee said the team remained confident even after Australia had cut the deficit to 6-2 in the bottom of the eighth because "we felt from the beginning that we'd have to score seven runs anyway.
"I am just grateful for my teammates," Lee said. "Some of the guys here have been part of teams that had some bad results at international events lately, and it's great to be moving on with them." (Yonhap)
