“I won the baseball board war… but it was a house of mourning,” Hanwha pitching coach looked back at the WBC

“I won the baseball board war… It was like a funeral home.”

Hanwha Eagles pitching coach Jose Rosado (49), a former left-handed pitcher with two major league all-star careers, participated in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) as a Puerto Rico bullpen coach. In 2013 and 2017, he joined the Puerto Rico coaching staff for three consecutive tournaments and experienced the WBC. 

Coach Rosado, who returned to Hanwha on the 23rd after returning to Korea on the afternoon of the 21st after finishing the WBC, said, “The WBC was a really unique experience. It is not easy to describe this experience. Regardless of the level of baseball, playing baseball in such a tense atmosphere is really special,” he emphasized the meaning of the WBC. 

Puerto Rico, where coach Rosado belongs, was runner-up in 2013 and 2017, but was satisfied with advancing to the quarterfinals this time. On the 16th (Korean time), which was the last match of the group stage in Group D, where they would be eliminated if they lost, they passed the first round with a 5-2 victory over the Dominican Republic, but the joy was short-lived. Finisher Edwin Diaz (New York Mets), who had a scoreless inning in the ninth inning and made a save, suffered an injury in which the patellar tendon in his right knee ruptured while celebrating, and was out of the season. 

Rosa and the coach were also present at the scene. He said, “Like the rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in the major leagues, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic stick together (Latin America) is a baseball war. It happened while celebrating the joy of winning the Dominican Republic, one of the best baseball countries in the world. The match was won, but the atmosphere of the team was no different from a house of mourning. No one enjoyed the victory.” There were also players who stole tears, including his younger brother Alexis Diaz. Diaz underwent knee surgery the next day and entered eight months of rehabilitation. 

Puerto Rico, who 스포츠토토did not fully enjoy the victory, ended the WBC with a 4-5 come-from-behind defeat to Mexico in the quarterfinals. The runners accumulated by walking in the 7th led to the finish line. Coach Rosado said, “It hurts my heart to lose a close match in such a high-level competition. It was a more regrettable loss as runners who walked out led to runs,” he said. “The Mexican players did well, and our Puerto Rican players did their best.” 

Coach Rosado, who was born in New Jersey, USA, said, “My parents are Puerto Ricans. Because it is a U.S. territory, all Puerto Ricans have U.S. citizenship, and I can choose U.S. citizenship, but deep down I live with the thought of being a Puerto Rican.” revealed 

Japan’s 7-game winning streak and the participation of European countries that are barren for baseball, such as the Czech Republic and England, have spurred many topics. Players representing each country did their best without sacrificing themselves and enjoyed baseball to their heart’s content, raising the atmosphere. 

Coach Rosado said, “Looking at the energy the players pour in at the WBC, I thought I would like to bring out a little more passion in Korean baseball. Korea has a culture where players refrain from expressing emotions. Baseball is called a game, but I think it would be better if everyone enjoyed baseball and roared and expressed their passion like a game. No one hates a player who expresses his passion on the ground like Jose Pirella (Samsung).”

“I won the baseball board war… It was like a funeral home.” Hanwha Eagles pitching coach Jose Rosado (49), a former left-handed pitcher with two major league all-star careers, participated in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) as a Puerto Rico bullpen coach. In 2013 and 2017, he joined the Puerto Rico coaching staff for three consecutive…