KBS baseball commentator Park Yong-taek was moved to tears as the Korean national baseball team advanced to the second round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Under the leadership of manager Ryu Ji-hyun, the Korean team secured a 7-2 victory against Australia in the fourth match of Group C at the 2026 WBC, held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 9. This victory marks Korea's first advancement to the second round in 17 years.
During the game, Moon Bo-kyung hit a crucial two-run homer in the second inning, contributing a total of four RBIs. Although starting pitcher Son Joo-young had to leave the game due to elbow pain, Noh Kyung-eun's stellar pitching and Cho Byung-hyun's flawless closing limited Australia to just two runs.
Korea needed to win by at least five runs while allowing no more than two runs to advance to the quarterfinals. In the top of the ninth inning, Ahn Hyun-min's sacrifice fly secured a 7-2 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Lee Jung-hoo made a spectacular defensive play, preventing a potential run.
As Korea's advancement to the WBC quarterfinals was confirmed, commentators couldn't hold back their tears of joy. Commentator Park Yong-taek exclaimed, "I can't hold it in," as he wept openly. He praised the players, saying, "We played well against Japan and Taiwan, but it was tough losing by a narrow margin. You know how well-prepared and dedicated the players were." Even during the post-game review, he couldn't stop his tears.
Netizens reacted with comments like "Gengnyeontae," "Aegentaek," "Crying more than at his own retirement ceremony," and "Thought it was a concept, but he was genuinely sobbing."
Reported by Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia bella@tenasia.co.kr