Manager Ryu Ji-hyun: "Will Prepare Ways to Utilize Kim Joo-won Amid Great Hitting Form"

After completely subduing a tough opponent, Taiwan, in their opening match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, national baseball team manager Ryu Ji-hyun expressed strong confidence in winning the gold medal, saying, "We will deliver joyful news on the last day of the Chuseok holiday."

The national team routed Taiwan 5-0 in their Group B opening match held today at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Starting pitcher Kwak 빈, reliever Cho Byung-hyun, and closer Park Young-hyun combined for a team shutout, holding the Taiwanese lineup to just 2 hits while racking up 15 strikeouts.

With this victory, South Korea has virtually secured a place in the Super Round, where the top four teams compete, as the group leader.

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

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

In the batter's box, Kim Joo-won, starting as the No. 5 hitter and shortstop, went 4-for-3 with a strong performance. South Korea knocked down Taiwan by scoring 3 runs via sacrifice flies, along with Park Jun-soon's RBI double and pinch hitter Yoon Dong-hee's towering solo home run to deep left field.

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

Regarding Taiwan'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 wore off, we played a good game."

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

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

Showing a relaxed attitude, Manager Ryu said, "Kim Joo-won's batting timing and overall feel at the plate are exceptionally good, so I will ponder ways to utilize Kim and connect the batting order moving forward." Addressing the South Korean fans who filled the stadium, he added, "The final falls on the last day of the Chuseok holiday. We will deliver joyful news."

Praising Kwak Bin, who pitched 6 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts, Manager Ryu gave a thumbs up, saying, "He must have had a tough time after surpassing 90 pitches, but he pitched really well like a true ace."

National team captain No Si-hwan said, "I mentioned that we have many young players and would become a scary team once we caught momentum. I think today's opening win makes South Korea an even scarier team."

No Si-hwan credited his unified teammates for the win, noting that despite thorough preparation, the national team batters struggled against Lin Yi-wei's unfamiliar breaking balls, but managed to win by maintaining their concentration until the end and scoring run by run.

He also added, "Kwak Bin pitched so well 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.