jasdooit

The South Korean national baseball team, getting ready for next year’s WBC (World Baseball Classic), recorded 12 walks in their second trial match against Japan but finished in a 7-7 tie after a thrilling solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning tied the game. The national squad, which had been stuck on a 10-game losing streak against Japan, couldn’t break free from the slump but managed to prevent an 11th straight loss.

The squad encountered a persistent problem of 11 walks in the first game the day before, allowing 4 runs through sacrifice walks.

The beginning wasn’t too bad. Rookie right-hander Jeong Woo-joo (Hanwha), who took the mound as the opening pitcher, managed 4 strikeouts in 3 innings without giving up any runs against Japan’s team. In the second inning, he walked a batter and made a throwing error, loading the bases with no outs, and later allowed a sacrifice bunt to move runners to second and third with one out. Nevertheless, he remained composed, striking out Sasaki Dai with a line drive to second base and then getting Ishigami Daiki out with a swinging strike to get out of the situation. Considering the pressure of his debut at Tokyo Dome and the Japan-Korea game, it was almost a “perfect debut.”

As Jeong kept the line, the offense scored 3 runs initially. In the bottom of the third inning, with the bases full, Song Seong-min (Kiwoom) hit a two-RBI single to right field, giving them a 2-0 advantage. With one out and runners on first and third, Han Dong-hee (Military Service) struck out, but third baseman Ahn Hyun-min rushed home while first baseman Song Seong-min tried a double steal to second. As Japanese catcher Kishida threw to second, Ahn reached the plate, increasing the lead to 3-0.

The issue occurred after the starter exited the field. The bullpen, brought in from the start of the fourth inning, once again had difficulty finding the strike zone. Left-hander Oh Won-seok (KT), the second pitcher, gave up a double to leadoff batter Morishita Shota and then issued back-to-back walks, leading to a one-out, bases-loaded situation. He allowed a run on Sasaki Dai’s ground single and a sacrifice walk to Ishigami Taiki, reducing the deficit to 3-2.

The bench quickly brought in Jo Byeong-hyun (SSG), but he also walked Isobata Ryota, the first batter he faced. Another sacrifice walk made the score 3-3. The inning included four walks, one double, and one RBI single, resulting in three runs scored.

The national team took the lead again in the fourth inning’s bottom half. With two outs and runners on first and second, Shin Min-jae (LG) hit a single to left field that drove in a run, making the score 4-3.

However, the one-run advantage didn’t last for long. Jo Byeong-hyun began the inning by striking out Nomura Isami looking, but he issued a walk to Morishita. A wild pitch moved the runner to second, and another walk to Maki prompted the manager to make a pitching substitution, bringing in Kim Young-woo (LG). Kim allowed Nishikawa Miso’s strong ground ball to hit his glove and bounce through for a single, extending the inning with one out and the bases full.

Kim then issued a sacrifice walk to Sasaki, making the score 4-4. He then hit a two-run double into right field against Ishigami, helping Japan take a 4-6 advantage. During the fourth and fifth innings, South Korea gave up 3 runs each, for a total of 6 runs, including three sacrifice walks.

The action continued in the top of the eighth inning. Bae Chan-seung (Samsung) got Sasaki out with a groundout to second base but walked substitute hitter Okamoto Kazuma. Isobata hit a strong ground ball that bounced off the pitcher’s glove and allowed the runner to reach safely, while a wild pitch moved the runner to second with one out. Following an out by Murabayashi on a fly ball to right field, Bae walked Nomura, putting runners on all bases with two outs. He then issued another sacrifice walk to Morishita—the fourth of the game.

There were notable moments in the later innings. Park Young-hyun (KT), the KBO’s top save leader (35 saves), maintained his composure in the sixth and seventh innings despite being behind 4-6. During the sixth, he secured an inning-ending double play with a flyout to right, a groundout to third, and a foul pop. In the seventh, he struck out a player looking, got a line drive to right, and concluded with a groundout to shortstop, delivering two scoreless innings. In the top of the ninth, down 6-7, Kim Seo-hyun (Hanwha) allowed a walk and a hit with one out, loading the bases, but managed to hold on through solid defensive plays.

The team never stopped fighting. Moon Bo-kyung (LG) reached base by walk, Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha) also drew a full-count walk, and Kim Joo-won (NC) was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first, second, and third with one out. Pinch-hitter Park Dong-won (LG) then hit a sacrifice fly to left field, reducing the deficit to 5-6. With two outs and runners on first and second, Park Hae-min’s single to center allowed Moon Hyun-bin to score, but he was tagged out at home because of Japan’s quick defense and strong throw. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Ahn Hyun-min kept the comeback going. He hit Takahashi Hiroto’s pitch over the right-field wall for a solo home run. Following his 129-meter two-run home run the day before, this was another impressive swing that resonated throughout Tokyo Dome, making the score 6-7.

Kim Joo-won equalized the score with a solo home run. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs, he hit a ball that cleared the right-center field fence against Yomiuri Giants reliever Ota Taisei. The exciting tie prevented a loss and concluded the game in a tie.