Korea national baseball team manager Ryu Ji-hyun could not hold back tears after leading his squad to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarterfinals.
Korea, under Ryu's command, dramatically defeated Australia 7-2 in their Pool C fourth-round match at Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 9. The team precisely met the challenging qualification conditions of winning by five or more runs while allowing two runs or fewer.
With a 2-2 record, Korea finished tied with Taiwan and Australia but advanced as the pool's second-place team by virtue of the lowest runs-allowed ratio. This marks Korea's first advancement past the WBC pool stage in 17 years, since their runner-up finish in 2009.
During the post-game press conference, Ryu struggled to contain his emotions. When he met Korean reporters in the mixed zone afterward, he finally let his tears flow.
"It was an extremely difficult first round," Ryu said. "I believe the players' attitude and sincerity toward this tournament came together to produce this great result."
"Even before today's game, I thought we couldn't play while being chased," he continued. "Scoring early allowed us to maintain composure and control the game flow. In the top of the ninth inning, the players' concentration and determination came together when we absolutely needed to score."
Ryu praised his players: "Cho Byung-hyun did well pitching 1⅔ innings at the end, and Lee Jung-hoo made a difficult catch on defense in the bottom of the ninth."
"Today was the 'game of my life,'" Ryu said. "This was the most important game in my baseball career, and this result came from the entire team wearing the same uniform, combined with cooperation from the KBO and all 10 clubs."
Ryu expressed gratitude for the support system: "While preparing for the WBC, we were provided with a Saipan camp for the first time before the clubs' spring training began. These preparations would have been difficult without the KBO's investment and support. I think they provided about 99% of everything, which positively impacted the players' performance."
"We had to meet the conditions of a five-run margin and two runs or fewer allowed today, and I thought limiting runs would be harder than scoring them," Ryu reflected on his pitching management. "Young pitchers like Park Young-hyun, Kim Taek-yeon, and Cho Byung-hyun pitched well, and Noh Kyung-eun threw two innings in an unexpected situation."
Ryu added, "I want to express my respect for Noh Kyung-eun."
When asked about his plans for the second round in Miami, Florida, Ryu said, "I want to rest today. We'll start preparing for the second round tomorrow morning."