Korea's WBC Tournament Fate Hinges on the Bullpen

The bullpen remains a concern.

This is the story of the Korean national baseball team competing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Under the leadership of manager Ryu Ji-hyun, Korea pulled off a dramatic advancement to the quarterfinals by defeating Australia 7-2 in the final Group C preliminary round game held at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on March 9. The team miraculously achieved the slim possibility of qualifying, which required a win by 5 or more runs while allowing no more than 2 runs. In the runs allowed rate, calculated only among teams with the same record, Korea posted 0.1228, while Taiwan and Australia recorded 0.1296.

Korea will now travel to Miami, Florida, in the United States, to face the first-place team from Group D in the quarterfinals at 7:30 a.m. on March 14 (Korean time). The likely opponents are the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, as both teams have secured two wins each in Group D. The Dominican Republic features powerhouse hitters such as Juan Soto (New York Mets), Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado (both San Diego Padres), and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays). Venezuela also boasts top players like Willson Contreras (St. Louis Cardinals) and Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta Braves).

Dane Dunning is pitching in the 7th inning during the final game of the 2006 WBC Group C round-robin against Australia. Tokyo=Yonhap News Agency

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Heading into this tournament, Korea lost a key bullpen resource to injury. Closer Riley O'Brien (St. Louis Cardinals), who had been selected for the role, was removed from the roster after experiencing pain in his right calf during his club's spring training camp.

For Korea to achieve a result beyond the quarterfinals, the bullpen needs to be rebuilt. Unlike the active team offense, the relief pitching has been shaky. In this group stage, Korea allowed runs in the 7th to 9th innings in all four games. In the first game against the underdog Czech Republic on March 5, with an 11-3 lead, Yu Youngchan (LG Twins) took the mound in the top of the ninth inning and allowed one run. In the March 7 game against Japan, with the score tied 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Park Younghyun (kt wiz) and Kim Youngkyu (NC Dinos) gave up four walks and then a crucial hit, resulting in three runs and ultimately collapsing.

In the must-win game against Taiwan on March 8, Dane Dunning (Atlanta Braves) came in as a reliever in the top of the eighth with Korea leading 3-2 but gave up a go-ahead two-run homer. Korea eventually lost in extra innings. In the final game against Australia, Kim Taekyeon (Doosan Bears) took the mound in the bottom of the eighth, issued a walk to leadoff hitter Tim Kennelly (Perth Heat), and then allowed a timely hit to Travis Bazzana (Cleveland Guardians). In the bottom of the ninth, with one out and a runner on first, if Lee Junghoo (San Francisco Giants) had not managed a spectacular defensive play to stop a scorching line drive, Korea's trip to the United States would not have been guaranteed.

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