Manager Ryu Ji-hyun: "We Will Prepare Ways to Utilize Kim Joo-won, Who Is in Great Hitting Form"

Baseball National Team Manager Ryu Ji-hyun, who perfectly subdued tough opponent Chinese Taipei in the opening match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, showed strong confidence in winning the gold medal, saying, "We will deliver good news on the final day of the Chuseok holiday."

The national team thoroughly defeated Chinese Taipei 5-0 in their Group B opening match held today at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Starting pitcher Kwak 빈, relief pitcher Cho Byeong-hyun, and closer Park Young-hyun combined for a team shutout, holding the Chinese Taipei lineup to just 2 hits with 15 strikeouts.

With this win, South Korea has practically secured its advancement to the Super Round, where the top four teams compete.

The remaining opponents in the group stage are Hong Kong and Thailand, both considered weaker teams.

If they defeat Japan from Group A in the Super Round, they will advance to the final and take a giant step toward their fifth consecutive championship.

In the batter's box, Kim Joo-won, playing as the No. 5 batter and shortstop, had a stellar game with 3 hits in 4 at-bats. Team South Korea knocked down Chinese Taipei with 3 runs driven in via sacrifice flies, Park Jun-soon's RBI double, and a massive solo home run to left field by pinch hitter Yoon Dong-hee.

In a post-match interview, Manager Ryu evaluated, "As expected, there were difficulties in the first game due to the pressure of a short-format tournament and a major event. The young players showed a lot of nervousness, but from the 5th inning onward, we were able to win with good performance."

Regarding Chinese Taipei's deployment of industrial league pitcher Lin Yi-wei, Manager Ryu reflected, "We prepared by analyzing the opposing pitcher's unorthodox pitching timing, but there was still nervousness. Once that was shaken off, we played a good game."

Based on precise breaking ball control, Lin Yi-wei tried to disrupt our batters' timing with double, triple, and sometimes quadruple kicking motions.

Manager Ryu revealed that because the leadoff batter in the bottom of the 4th inning was catcher Cho Hyeong-woo, who had just returned from defense, he intentionally asked the umpire about Lin Yi-wei's double-kicking motion to buy time for the batter to prepare and temporarily break the pitching rhythm.

Manager Ryu stated, "Kim Joo-won's batting timing and other aspects are exceptionally good right now, so I will ponder ways to utilize Kim's effectiveness and connect him in the batting lineup going forward." Addressing the South Korean fans who packed the stadium, he showed a relaxed attitude, saying, "The final is on the last day of the Chuseok holiday. We will deliver good news."

Praising Kwak 빈, who pitched 6 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts, Manager Ryu gave a thumbs-up and said, "He must have had a tough time as his pitch count exceeded 90, but he pitched really well like an ace."

National team captain Noh Si-hwan said, "I mentioned that we have many young players and if we catch momentum, we will be a scary team. I think South Korea will become even scarier with this opening win."

Noh credited his fellow batters for the win, noting that despite thorough preparation, the national team's batters struggled against Lin Yi-wei's unfamiliar breaking balls, but they managed to win by scoring run by run without losing concentration until the end.

He also added, "Kwak 빈 pitched so wonderfully like a true ace. I expect him to pitch just as well in the next game as he did today."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.