The South Korean baseball team, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, secured a spot in the finals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by defeating China 9-2. Their opponent will be Japan, who handed Korea a shutout loss just a day earlier.
On September 26, at the Toyohashi Municipal Stadium in Aichi, Korea triumphed over China in the second match of the tournament's super round. With this victory, Korea improved its record to 2 wins and 1 loss, following a previous win against Taiwan. Japan, who defeated Taiwan 7-3 on the same day, finished first in the super round with 3 wins, while Korea secured second place.
Korea and Japan will meet again on September 27 at 6:30 PM at the same venue for the gold medal match. A victory would mark Korea's fifth consecutive gold medal in baseball at the Asian Games, following wins in Guangzhou in 2010, Incheon in 2014, Jakarta-Palembang in 2018, and Hangzhou in 2023.
This match also serves as a chance for redemption after Korea's disappointing performance against Japan on September 25, where they failed to score and lost 5-0 to a team composed of amateur players.
The game against China was delayed by an hour due to rain, starting at 7:30 PM. Despite the weather, Korea quickly found themselves in trouble when starting pitcher Choi Min-seok (Doosan Bears) allowed a run in the first inning. With two outs and a runner on second, he gave up an RBI single to Lian Chenchen. Korea managed to escape further damage by striking out Li Xiaoyang.
In the bottom of the first, Korea turned the tables, capitalizing on a Chinese error. After a walk to Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha Eagles) and a ground ball by Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers) that resulted in a shortstop error, Korea had runners on second and third with one out. Moon Bo-kyung (LG Twins) hit a ground ball to first base, and the umpire ruled him safe, allowing Moon Hyun-bin to score. Amidst confusion in the Chinese defense, Kim Do-young also made it home, putting Korea ahead 2-1.
In the second inning, with no outs and a runner on third due to a wild pitch, Kim Ji-chan (Samsung Lions) hit a two-run double to left-center. Following a sacrifice bunt by Jo Hyung-woo (SSG Landers) and a ground ball by Kim Joo-won (NC Dinos), Kim Ji-chan scored, extending the lead to 4-1.
After a brief lull in scoring, Korea's offense surged again in the later innings. In the sixth, Kim Joo-won added a run with a single to right, followed by a hit-by-pitch that brought in another run. In the seventh, Park Jun-soon hit a one-RBI triple, and Jo Hyung-woo followed with an RBI single, pushing the score to 8-1.
In the eighth inning, Moon Bo-kyung added another RBI double. Although Kim Young-woo (LG) allowed one run in the ninth inning after coming in as a reliever, it did not affect the outcome.
Choi Min-seok's performance on the mound was impressive, as he pitched seven innings, throwing 90 pitches, allowing seven hits, one walk, striking out nine, and giving up just one run.
At the plate, Park Jun-soon, batting seventh, shone with three hits in four at-bats and one RBI. Kim Joo-won (two hits, two RBIs) and Kim Ji-chan (two hits, one RBI, two runs) also contributed significantly, along with Jo Hyung-woo (two hits, one RBI).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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