Bo Gyeong Moon belted a grand slam in the first inning and had an RBI single in the seventh, pacing Korea to an 11-4 victory over Czechia on Thursday in a pool play game during the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo.
The contest marked the Koreans’ start of round-robin play in Pool C, which also features defending champion Japan, Australia and Taiwan. The latter two teams squared off earlier Thursday, with Australia posting a 3-0 win in the opening game of the WBC.
The top two teams from each of the four pools will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be split between Miami and Houston. The semifinals on March 15 and 16 as well as the final on March 17 will be contested in Miami.
Shay Whitcomb of the Houston Astros launched a solo home run in the third inning and a two-run shot in the fifth for the Koreans, while Jahmai Jones added a solo homer in the eighth.
Whitcomb and Jones are two of the three U.S.-born players on Korea’s WBC roster. Whitcomb’s mother, Yoonie, and Jones’ mother, Michele, were born in Korea, thereby making them eligible for the roster.
Whitcomb’s second homer lifted Korea to a 6-0 lead before Terrin Vavra, formerly of the Baltimore Orioles, halved the deficit with a three-run shot in the fifth inning for Czechia.
