Korea's home run celebration has players dreaming of a trip to Miami 

OSAKA -- When Tokyo's Pool C ends, two teams will head to Haneda Airport and fly to Miami for the quarterfinals. For Korea, which hasn't advanced out of the first round since reaching the championship in 2009, the mission begins there.

So, during this week's two exhibition games in Osaka, there was only one way to celebrate a home run or a big play: The team's players have been making an "M" shape with their hands for Miami, while they wave their arms like the wings on a Brett Phillips airplane.

When young power-speed sensation Do-Yeong Kim -- the youngest player to go 30/30 in KBO history -- hit his second home run in as many days on Tuesday afternoon against the Orix Buffaloes, he busted out the wings as he rounded third base. Naturally, his teammates in the dugout joined in on the fun.

A few innings later, when Korea's other noted young slugger, Hyun-min Ahn, blasted an absolute moonshot to left field, he busted out the same move as he rounded the bases.

While we don't know for sure (yet), it's believed that MLB players Jahmai Jones and Shay Whitcomb are responsible for teaching the move to the team, as World Baseball Classic photographer Daniel Shirey noticed them showing off the move to their teammates before the game.

The home run barrage -- Whitcomb added another blast of of his own -- helped Korea defeat the Buffaloes, 8-5.

"We have completed everything that we wanted to do [in the exhibition games]," manager Ji-Hyun Ryu said after the game. "So, we're just ready to play the real games in Tokyo. We'd like to show everyone the best Korean team's baseball."

If Korea can follow this formula, then they very well could advance out of a difficult group that features Japan, Australia, Chinese Taipei and Czechia. And if that happens, then Korea won't need to pretend to be on an airplane: They'll be on the charter to Miami with a date in the quarter finals.