It was the biggest surprise in the preliminaries. In September of last year, it defeated Spain, which consisted of former major leaguers or minor league prospects. Most of the players are playing in amateur leagues, and a country that has not produced a single major leaguer since 1952 has advanced to the finals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC). This is the story of the Czech baseball team, which will face South Korea at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 12th.
Everyone can’t hide their surprise towards the Czech Republic. MLB.com also carried a big story about the Czech national team. This is the story of the Czech Republic, where both leaders and players are facing a confrontation with the world’s best baseball players even though baseball is not their job.
Czech national team captain and designated hitter Petr Zima is a finance expert, and center fielder Arnošt Dubovi is a high school geography teacher. Marek Minarczyk, a former Pittsburgh minor league right pitcher, now works in real estate. As such, Czech baseball players have jobs other than baseball. I play baseball after work.
In an interview with MLB.com, Dubobi said, “It is very difficult to have a job and baseball at the same time. Usually, we finish our work at 4:00 and train for 2 or 3 hours from 5:00. Afterwards, he spends the rest of his time at home with his family or girlfriend. It is possible because of the passion for baseball. I play baseball because I love baseball, not for money.”
Infielder Martin Chebvenka’s job is similar. I wake up at 6:00 am, go to work by 7:00, and finish work at 4:00 pm. Chevvenka said, “I train twice after work. He trains right after work and trains again after dinner. After dinner, he usually starts training around 8 and finishes between 10 and 11,” he explains of a two-job player’s day. 슈퍼벳 토토
Right pitcher Martin Schneider’s day is more difficult. As a firefighter, Schneider usually works 24 hours and then takes 48 hours off. He doesn’t train, and he often misses matches. Even so, they have no intention of backing down from confrontation with professional players. “We all play baseball with great passion,” said captain Zima. I enjoy competition, but I really hate losing. I believe we will shock people once again,” he said, expressing his confidence ahead of the WBC.
Czech left-hander Lucas Ercoli had experience facing Shohei Ohtani during his youth national team days. Ercoli can face Ohtani again through the game against Japan on the 11th. He said, “If you play against Ohtani, he will throw a fast ball to the body. Home run or not, we’ll see what happens. After that, he’ll throw a slider. I don’t know what will happen, but that’s my pitch. There is no other option,” he said, drawing a confrontation with the best player in his head.