▲ South Korea's Moon Hyun-bin and Kim Do-young celebrate scoring after a hit by Moon Bo-kyung during the Super Round baseball game between South Korea and China at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on September 26. In the bottom of the 1st inning with one out and runners on second and third.
The South Korean national baseball team, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, has advanced to the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The national team secured a 9-2 victory against China today (September 26) in their second Super Round match held at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
With this win, including their earlier victory over Taiwan in the group stage, the baseball team finished the Super Round with a record of two wins and one loss, earning a spot in the final.
Their opponents in the final will be Japan (three wins), which defeated Taiwan (one win and two losses) earlier today.
South Korea, which suffered a 0-5 defeat on September 25 against a Japanese squad composed of industrial (corporate) league players, will return to the same venue on September 27 at 6:30 PM for the gold medal match and a chance for redemption.
If South Korea defeats Japan in the final, it will mark the national team's fifth consecutive Asian Games title.
Today's game started at 7:30 PM, one hour later than originally scheduled, due to rain.
Although the rain appeared to let up, it grew heavier after the game started, and the national team played under somewhat chaotic conditions.
South Korea gave up the opening run in the 1st inning as starting pitcher Choi Min-seok (Doosan Bears) looked somewhat shaky.
Choi allowed a run after giving up three consecutive hits to Ruan Tian-tian, Cao Jie, and Fu Wen-long with two outs and a runner on second.
Fortunately, he escaped a major jam by striking out Li Xiao-yang with the bases loaded and two outs.
The national team turned the game around in the bottom of the 1st inning.
With one out and runners on second and third following a walk by Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha Eagles) and an opponent error, Moon Bo-kyung (LG Twins) hit a grounder to first base, allowing Moon Hyun-bin to cross home plate.
During this play, Moon Bo-kyung was called safe at first base due to a miscall by the home plate umpire, and taking advantage of the opposing defense scrambling in confusion, third base runner Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers) alertly dashed home, making it 2-1.
In the bottom of the 2nd inning, South Korea added two runs through consecutive hits by Park Jun-soon (Doosan) and Kim Ji-chan (Samsung Lions), a sacrifice bunt by Cho Hyung-woo (SSG Landers), and a grounder by Kim Joo-won (NC Dinos), extending their lead to 4-1.
Maintaining a three-run lead, South Korea added another run in the bottom of the 6th inning. With one out and runners on first and third following a single to right by Park Jun-soon and an infielder hit by Cho Hyung-woo, Kim Joo-won delivered an RBI single to right field.
After loading the bases with a single to center by Moon Hyun-bin, Kim Do-young drew a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch, stretching the lead to 6-1.
In the bottom of the 7th inning, an attack featuring a walk by Yoon Dong-hee (Lotte Giants), an RBI triple to right by Park Jun-soon, and an RBI single to center by Cho Hyung-woo brought in two more runs to make it 8-1, effectively sealing the victory.
Starting pitcher Choi Min-seok performed well, allowing just one run on seven hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over seven innings.
At the plate, Park Jun-soon went 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored, while Kim Joo-won (NC) went 2-for-5 with two RBIs.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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