Whitcomb feels blessed to represent S. Korea for mother with big day at plate
Shay Whitcomb of South Korea celebrates after hitting a solo home run against Czechia during the teams' Pool C game at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Thursday. Yonhap
TOKYO — Shay Whitcomb couldn't have scripted a better debut for South Korea at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) on Thursday.
With his Korean mother watching in the stands, Whitcomb blasted two home runs and knocked in three runs to help South Korea defeat Czechia 11-4 to begin Pool C play at Tokyo Dome.
His first home run pushed South Korea's lead to 6-0 and his second shot made it an 8-3 game, dashing any Czechia hopes of a comeback.
"It means everything to wear the jersey, to be able to honor and represent my mom in that way is one of the greatest honors for me and such a blessing," Whitcomb said. "I love her a ton and I wouldn't be half the man that I am without her. To be able to play for her country and be a part of this team, it means everything to me and her."
Whitcomb said he hadn't had a chance to meet his mom right after the game and added, "I'm sure it's going to be full of excitement. Big hugs. I can't wait."
After returning to the dugout following his first home run, Whitcomb formed a heart sign with his hands over his head toward manager Ryu Ji-hyun -- who went viral for the same sign he showed toward Jahmai Jones during a recent exhibition game.
Whitcomb said he hadn't planned on doing it beforehand.
"It was on the spot, just out of celebration," Whitcomb said with a smile. "The staff that we have is amazing. The players that we have are amazing. We can all hit and our lineup is just insane. So it's going to be a fun tournament for us."
Whitcomb's second homer was measured at 362 feet, 17 feet shorter than the first one. He said he wasn't sure if the ball was going to leave the yard at first.
"I kind of hit it off the end," he said. "Is it going to be another one? That's what was going through my mind. When it went out, I was ecstatic. Looking back at the dugout, seeing my teammates all fired up means the most to me."
After an offday Friday, South Korea will be up against the defending champion Japan.
"We're ready for a battle," Whitcomb said. "We're going to do what we do. We showed a good showing today of being able to hit the ball and pitch well. So we're going to play our game and we're going to show up ready to fight and have confidence in our guys."