As of November 9, 2025, the South Korean national baseball team is playing a crucial exhibition game against the Czech Republic. This is a significant preparation step for the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), especially since South Korea and the Czech Republic are scheduled to meet again in Group C of the 2026 WBC finals, making this exhibition game even more noteworthy. Czech baseball made a strong impression on baseball fans worldwide with its impressive performance in the 2023 WBC. Although South Korea defeated the Czech Republic 7-3 at that time, they struggled more than expected after scoring a large number of runs early in the game, demonstrating the Czech team's potential. This is not merely a one-time surge but is evaluated as the result of a systematic youth development system and data-driven game analysis.
In the 2023 WBC, the Czech national team, even though composed mainly of 'two-job' players, defeated China and secured their first win in the finals, achieving the feat of qualifying for the 2026 WBC finals. Especially in the game against Japan, they struck out Shohei Ohtani and scored the first run, demonstrating a competitive performance against baseball powerhouses. This proved that Czech baseball has more than just passion, possessing a strategic approach that analyzes the strengths of the opposing team and exploits their weaknesses, as well as strong teamwork. At the time, Czech manager Pavel Chadim expressed strong confidence in the youth development system, foreshadowing the continuous growth of Czech baseball.
In the first exhibition game between South Korea and the Czech Republic held on November 8, 2025, at Gocheok Sky Dome, South Korea won 3-0. Although the young pitching staff of the South Korean national team combined for 17 strikeouts and performed a scoreless, perfect game, the batting line-up showed a somewhat disappointing performance with only 5 hits. This demonstrates that the Czech pitchers have improved more than in the 2023 WBC, and it also left the challenge of the South Korean batting line-up potentially struggling against unfamiliar types of pitchers. The Czech pitchers effectively blocked South Korean batters with fastballs up to 146 km and breaking balls, which reflects the recent rise of Czech baseball, including a 3rd place finish in the European Championship.
The biggest characteristic of Czech baseball is that most of the players maintain excellent performance even though they are 'two-job' players who play baseball in addition to their main jobs. This was possible due to pure passion for baseball, as well as consistent investment in systematic youth development programs and infrastructure maintenance. Czech baseball actively utilizes data and knowledge to analyze opposing teams and pursues 'intelligent baseball,' which is based on this analysis. These efforts are the driving force behind the Czech Republic's position as a European baseball powerhouse and its presence on the world stage. The Czech Baseball Association is using KBO and South Korean baseball as role models and is seeking development through continuous exchange.
The growth of Czech baseball provides important implications for South Korean baseball. South Korean baseball, which struggles in international competitions despite having a professional league, has much to learn from the Czech Republic's systematic training system and data utilization strategy. In the 2026 WBC, South Korea and the Czech Republic will meet again, and this exhibition game will be an important opportunity for both teams to scout their strengths. While the South Korean national team confirmed the international competitiveness of its young pitching staff, it urgently needs to improve the cohesiveness of its batting line-up and its ability to cope with unfamiliar pitchers. The Czech Republic is expected to grow into a more powerful dark horse on the world baseball stage through continuous infrastructure investment and youth development. South Korean baseball also needs to refer to the case of the Czech Republic and make efforts for continuous development.
Q1: Are all the players on the Czech national baseball team professional players?
A1: Most of the players on the Czech national baseball team are 'two-job' players with other main jobs. They have various jobs, such as firefighters and doctors, and enjoy baseball with pure passion.
Q2: What was the Czech Republic's performance in the 2023 WBC?
A2: In the 2023 WBC, the Czech Republic secured its first win against China and qualified for the 2026 WBC finals, despite being their first time participating in the finals. They made a deep impression by showing an impressive performance against baseball powerhouses.
Q3: What are the strengths of Czech baseball?
A3: Czech baseball has the strengths of the players' pure passion for baseball, a systematic youth development system, and data-driven strategic game analysis ability.
Q4: What was the result of the exhibition game against South Korea in November 2025?
A4: In the first exhibition game held on November 8, 2025, South Korea defeated the Czech Republic 3-0. While the South Korean pitching staff performed well, the batting line-up struggled with only 5 hits against the Czech pitchers.
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