The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team, which faced a variable called’aircraft defect’, swept their hearts out, saying, “Still, I am glad I found a malfunction right before takeoff.”

After joint training in Tucson, Arizona, USA on the 28th (Korean time), the WBC team was divided into three groups and boarded an American Airlines (AA) domestic flight heading to Los Angeles, California. However, a plane with 22 athletes on board encountered difficulties in taking off due to a fuselage defect.스포츠토토

On this plane, coach Lee Kang-cheol and coach Kim Min-ho, Kim Min-jae, Sim Jae-hak, Kang Baek-ho, Ko Young-pyo, So Hyeong-jun (above KT Wiz), Ko Woo-seok, Kim Yun-sik, Kim Hyeon-soo, Park Hae-min, Oh Ji-hwan, Jung Woo-young (above LG), Kim Hye-seong, Lee Jung-hoo and Lee Ji-young (above LG) Heroes), Kim Gwang-hyeon, Choi Jeong, Choi Ji-hoon (SSG Landers), Kim Won-joong (Lotte Giants), Gwak Bin and Jeong Cheol-won (Doosan Bears), and four KBO officials aboard.

A KBO official who was on the same flight said, “The plane took off and ran on the runway for a long time before suddenly turning around and returning to the airport. “Considering the safety of the team, we moved to LA by bus,” he explained.

Fortunately, the LG Twins, who are having a camp in Scottsdale, Arizona, provided a team bus for the national team’s transportation. However, the driver exceeded the legal driving time in the United States, so he had to change buses once on the way. Scottsdale is a two-hour drive from Tucson, and an eight-hour bus ride from Tucson to Los Angeles.

A KBO official said, “Despite the embarrassing situation, the team atmosphere is not bad. The same old players are leading the atmosphere well,” he hinted.

The WBC team was scheduled to arrive in Korea around 5:00 am on the 1st of next month after transferring from LA Airport to an international flight bound for Incheon. However, as many people were caught up in an unexpected situation, the return schedule was somewhat changed.

The players who boarded the plane normally arrive at dawn on the 1st as scheduled, but the players who dropped out board two other planes and set foot on Korea at 5:30 and 5:40 pm on the same day. KBO hurriedly set up temporary accommodations near the airport so that players with delayed departures could rest.

The national team is scheduled for domestic recovery training and practice matches on the 2nd and 3rd of next month at Gocheok Sky Dome. A KBO official added, “Fortunately, everyone will be able to return home on the 1st, so the training will proceed as planned.”