Yu Chang crushes a fastball for a grand slam in WBC, a breakdown
What Happened
In the second inning of a tightly contested World Baseball Classic matchup between the Netherlands and Taiwan, the game is tied 1-1 with the bases loaded and two outs. Taiwanese third baseman Yu Chang steps to the plate, the crowd buzzing with anticipation. Netherlands pitcher Sherill Byrd quickly gets ahead in the count, throwing two sliders that barely catch the edge of the strike zone. Chang holds off, working the count to 1-1. Byrd decides to go back to the slider, but this time Chang is ready. He unloads on the pitch, crushing it deep to left-center field for a grand slam. The stadium erupts as Taiwan takes a 5-1 lead. Chang trots around the bases, punctuating his home run with a series of celebratory gestures - a tongue-out wink towards the Netherlands dugout, a salute, and an enthusiastic head-bang with his teammates. The Netherlands pitcher can only watch in dismay as Chang's blast clears the fence. Taiwan's dugout explodes in jubilation, with the coaches and players celebrating wildly. The energetic cheerleaders on the sidelines match the intensity of the moment. After rounding the bases, Yu Chang continues his animated display, exchanging high-fives and playful shoves with his exuberant teammates. The Netherlands pitcher, clearly shaken, struggles to regain his composure on the mound. The grand slam has swung the game firmly in Taiwan's favor, leaving the Dutch squad facing an uphill battle to mount a comeback. This electrifying World Baseball Classic moment showcases Yu Chang's clutch hitting and flair for the dramatic. His towering home run and spirited celebration have the crowd and his teammates fired up, as Taiwan seizes control of this crucial pool play matchup. The stage is set for an exciting finish as the two teams battle to advance in this prestigious international tournament.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentlittle late to this one but it was an
awesome moment at the beginning of the
World Baseball Classic Netherlands and
Taiwan are tied at one run a piece that
guy's hair is looking good guy behind
him hair looking better bases are loaded
in the second inning the crowd was
electric the whole time you Chang's up
and that pitch is called a strike what
do you think slider you think that
caught the plate a little bit maybe just
got the edge pitcher likes it so much he
throws it again um says not ball ball
this time here's the two [ __ ] ah
funny thing is
argue that the um
got like if he tells you no that's where
my line was and sure they're in the same
spot there but there the red one called
a strike has some plate and the green
one was a little off or you could be
like oh hey blue those were the same
exact pitch What's your deal anyway it's
a 1-1 count I think the pitcher
from Netherlands is like let's just try
that again and hopefully he calls it a
strike because it's a pretty good pitch
if he calls it a strike I like it does
it again does he swing no Mr Cool says
no and yeah another pitch that was
definitely more off the plate so it's a
ball and did he swing
nah he held up so now you've thrown
three Sliders in a row one was called a
strike the other two are off the plate
you're not gonna throw four Sliders in a
row and risk the count getting to three
balls
bases are loaded you don't want to walk
in a run there's two outs screw it you
just gotta throw fastball in the zone
here and attack him unfortunately Yu
Chang knew the plan ambushes the
fastball hits it over left center field
for a grand slam Taiwan takes the lead
and the place is going crazy it was a
scene
then he goes Rochester's let's [ __ ]
go whoa
whoa and then little tongue wink into
the Dugout of the opposing team what's
that about you huh why you gotta get so
sassy with them
cute also is let's
[ __ ] go just Universal now is that no
no longer English but it's more like
just oh my God or you know home run if
you watch a broadcast they say home run
there's not another word for it is it
let's [ __ ] go at one point I was like
can I speak his language or is he
speaking it's let's [ __ ] go now he's
played in the U.S for oh give him the
tongue on the teeth to the salute come
on look at this the tongue on the teeth
to the salute
just just cute sassy [ __ ] talking
composed
mature has everything under control uh
it's a good celebration the cheerleaders
are going nuts that guy's got a nice
Polo on another salute and there you go
a grand slam three sliders and a
fastball now his teammates are going
nuts the whole place electric look at
that a little
once you just hit my elbow man or my
wrist holds his head salute oh that was
nice look he's gonna he's gonna bang his
head number four and then he realizes oh
we're doing salutes my bad I'll salute
and then he bangs his head and then you
Chang's gonna go
kind of nutty on him
on everybody and this coach in the
sidelines he's like yo that me up he's
like bam ow damn man why'd you have to
punch my fist like that ah
[ __ ]
and uh yeah Grand Slam now they didn't
move on it was a chaos division they all
tied tie Breakers didn't help him out
because their pitching wasn't great
they're off
I was their offense that was great and
you can see the four seam grip on the
pitcher right there and the tucked thumb
fastball bam and I love this shot of him
looking and wonder and the Pitcher
looking in horror and like oh eyes are
big he's smiling already watching that
go just so excited it's the World
Baseball Classic he was there you were
there we all saw it