Before Ha-Seong Kim became a fan favorite in San Diego, before he jumped to the United States, before he won three straight Gold Gloves in Korea, he was a 21-year-old shortstop who hoped the World Baseball Classic would be the perfect springboard for a budding career.
To this day, pulling his country's jersey over his shoulders remains one of the great honors of his life. But there's more than a tinge of disappointment as Kim recalls his first selection to the Korean National Team.
Not only were they on the wrong side of one of the greatest upsets in the history of the event, a loss to a no-named Israeli team that sent Kim and Co. spiraling toward elimination on their turf, it was the second straight first-round exit for the Koreans.
