▲ South Korean players celebrate after defeating Thailand 18-1 in their third Group B match of the baseball tournament at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 23rd.
South Korea national baseball team manager Ryu Ji-hyun expressed satisfaction after crushing Thailand to advance to the Super Round as the top team in their group, stating, "Things are going 99% according to plan."
Following the team's 18-1 victory in 5 innings via the mercy rule against Thailand in their third Group B match of the group stage held at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, today (the 23rd), Manager Ryu said, "We finished the group stage exactly as planned before the national team was assembled. We will make sure to build up our condition well during our rest day tomorrow to prepare for the remaining Super Round schedule."
On this day, South Korea racked up a total of 14 hits, including grand slams by Park Jae-hyun (KIA Tigers) and Park Jun-soon (Doosan Bears), securing a victory via a 5-inning mercy rule.
Batters who had previously struggled to find their rhythm at the plate, including Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha Eagles), also produced hits.
Manager Ryu remarked, "Moon Hyun-bin picked up a hit, so he will be able to approach the upcoming games with a more comfortable mindset."
Regarding Oh Won-sek (kt wiz), who started the game and pitched 4 scoreless innings allowing just 1 hit with no walks and 8 strikeouts, Ryu stated, "His condition seems to be very good. With a tight schedule day after day in the Super Round as well, it gives me confidence that we can utilize a variety of pitchers."
Addressing the consecutive night and day games, he said, "It is natural in international competitions to play a day game after an evening match. Since we finished today's game early, the players plan to check their condition through extra training [tomorrow]. The organizing committee has kindly allowed us to use the training facility."
The national team plans to prepare for the Super Round with about an hour of training at the Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 24th, which is a rest day.
Having previously defeated Taiwan 5-0 and Hong Kong 13-0 (7-inning mercy rule) in the group stage, South Korea decisively routed Thailand to secure three consecutive wins and finish top of Group B.
South Korea will play the Super Round against the first and second-place teams from Group A from the 25th to the 26th, followed by the medal matches on the 27th.
Manager Ryu said, "We have more or less decided on the pitchers who will take the mound for the Super Round and the medal matches. I cannot reveal who will pitch, but everyone's condition is good."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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