South Korean baseball took the first step toward a fifth consecutive title (five consecutive championships) by defeating ‘tough opponent’ Taiwan in their opening game of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
South Korea secured a 5-0 shutout victory in the first Group B match of the men’s baseball preliminary round, held at Okazaki Central Comprehensive Park in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on September 21.
Ace Kwak Bin’s dominant pitching stood out. Starting the game, Kwak Bin delivered a ‘no-hit’ performance over six innings, allowing no hits or runs. He recorded 10 strikeouts. His signature fastball, nearing 160 km/h, combined with sliders, changeups, and curves, overwhelmed the Taiwanese batters. Star hitters Liu Zhihong and Chen Chen-wei also struggled, retiring via strikeouts and weak grounders, while leadoff hitter Yang Zhen-yu suffered the ‘humiliation’ of striking out in all three of his at-bats.
This outing held special significance for Kwak Bin. Though selected for the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games team, he never pitched in an official game due to poor physical condition during the tournament. South Korea defeated Taiwan in the final to claim gold, but Kwak Bin never got the chance to showcase his skills on the mound. Three years later, facing Taiwan again, he dominated the game as if unleashing every pitch he had held back. After the game, Kwak Bin said, “I’m not satisfied with just one game. I want to pitch in the final and win the championship to finally feel at ease.”
Reliever Jo Byeong-hyeon also pitched two hitless, scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Closer Park Young-hyun allowed a hit to Chen Chen-wei in the ninth inning, breaking the ‘team no-hitter,’ but preserved the shutout.
South Korea’s batters initially struggled. Taiwan’s starting pitcher Lin Yi-wei, 20 years old, 176 cm, 63 kg, used clever pitching that disrupted batters’ timing with a double-foot kick motion, holding South Korea to one hit and one walk through five innings.
South Korea’s first run came in the second inning when Park Jae-hyun drove in a run with a sacrifice fly after a defensive error by Taiwan, which proved to be the decisive score. In the seventh inning, Park Joon-soon hit a two-run double with the bases loaded, and Cho Hyeong-woo followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 3-0. The previously tense one-run game finally had breathing room, and the cheers from South Korea’s third-base section grew louder.
Kim Do-yeong, who suffered a nasal bone fracture just before the tournament, served as the leadoff hitter, advancing the attack. Coincidentally, there was never a runner ahead of him. All four of his plate appearances, including his first at-bat, were as the leadoff batter each inning. After the game, Kim Do-yeong said, “I was the leadoff hitter in every at-bat, including my first. I thought my role was to get on base when needed, score when necessary, and drive in runs when required, so I tried my best.”
He struck out swinging in the first inning, popped out to the first baseman in the third, and was struck out again by Liu Zhi-long’s 159 km/h fastball in the sixth. Finally, in the eighth inning, he sliced a double through the gap to second base, sliding into the bag to draw cheers from the crowd. He later scored on Moon Hyun-bin’s infield single and Roh Si-hwan’s sacrifice fly, extending the lead to 4-0. Yoon Dong-hee’s clutch solo home run added an insurance run.
Kim Joo-won later added another hit, boosting the team’s morale. The shortstop went 3-for-4 with one run scored, excelling both offensively and defensively. Each time he hit a single, he performed the national team’s celebration of forming a mountain with both hands above his head—a gesture symbolizing ‘gold,’ created by captain Roh Si-hwan.
The South Korean team, which won their first game, is scheduled to play their second group-stage match against Hong Kong at Toyohashi Citizen’s Stadium on September 22.
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