On Wednesday the brand new Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea got inaugurated with a 6-0 shutout by South Korea against Cuba. It’s the first ever dome in South Korea, which is going to be the new home of the Nexen Heroes in the 2016 season of the professional Korea Baseball Organisation (KBO). Both teams will meet again on Thursday, concluding their preparations for the Premier12.
South Korea opened the new ballpark with a bang, taking a quick 3-0 lead in the first. Son Ah-Seop and Na Sung-Bum hit RBI singles against Cuba’s starter Yoennis Yera and a bases loaded walk got them on the board. A wild pitch, an error and a RBI single by Min Byung-Hun plated the three remaining runs in the fifth. Kim Hyun-Soo of new Korean champion Doosan Bears went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored.
Kim Kwang-Hyun, Rhee Dae-Eun, Jung Woo-Ram, Cho Mu-Keun and Lim Chang-Min combined for the shutout. Rhee Dae-Eun tossed four scoreless innings for the win. Yera got charged with the loss, being chased with two outs in the first.
It was the first meeting at the senior level between South Korea and Cuba since the Gold Medal Game at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Photo by WBSC