Kang Baek-ho smiled brightly for the first time in a while. Although he had suffered a lot due to poor performance and panic disorder, he was able to shake off the burden that had been weighing heavily on his shoulders by winning a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
He played for the adult national team three times, including the 2019 Premier 12, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2023 WBC, and was recognized as an international hitter with a career batting average of 3.62 leagues (17 hits in 47 at-bats), 9 RBIs, and 6 runs.
However, Kang Baek-ho was at the center of controversy outside of the game. In the bronze medal game against the Dominican Republic at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, in the top of the 8th inning, down 6-10, with 2 outs and runners on first base, he was caught on the broadcast screen dazed and chewing gum in the dugout. The national team, which had aimed to repeat the glory of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, returned empty-handed. Criticism poured in on Kang Baek-ho, who caused the chewing gum controversy.
He tried to escape the scarlet letter of the chewing gum controversy for a while, but found himself at the center of controversy again. On March 9, in the first round of the WBC finals against Australia, Kang Baek-ho created an absurd situation in which he was tagged out while celebrating after hitting a double with one out and no runners on base in the 7th inning when he stepped off the base.
I entered Hangzhou with fierce determination, but I felt more disappointed than I expected. He, who was in charge of the 4th position, suffered from endless sluggishness. After being moved to the 6th batting order due to manager Ryu Joong-il's consideration, he showed signs of recovery little by little, and started a revival by swinging the bat for 3 hits, including hitting his first home run in the game against China.
Korea defeated Taiwan, whom they met again in the finals, 2-0 and achieved the feat of winning for the fourth time in a row. Kang Baek-ho said after the game, “It is a happiness that cannot be expressed in words. He said, “I always felt sorry for not being able to show good results with the national team, but the players performed so well that the results were like a dream.”
He continued, “Right now, all of this feels like a lie. This season was really difficult. “It was difficult when I joined the national team, and I think that process was the most difficult time in my life,” he added. He also confessed that he suffered from panic disorder for four months.
Kang Baek-ho said, “It wouldn’t have been easy if it weren’t for older brothers like (Kim) Hye-seong and (Park) Se-woong who worked hard for the team. “I think we were able to win because of the spirit of the young players and the good performances of the seniors,” he said.
Baek-ho Kang's next goal, having overcome the Taegeuk mark jinx by winning the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, is to win his second Korean Series. As of the 8th, Kang Baek-ho's KT is in second place with 78 wins, 62 losses, and 3 draws (winning percentage of 0.557). They are ahead of 3rd place Doosan by 4 games. As of now, direct advancement to the playoffs is likely.
Having tasted the thrill of winning the combined championship two years ago, he is determined to continue the golden spirit of Hangzhou on the fall stage as well.