South Korea Suffers Shock Defeat to Japan's Industrial League Players... Faces Math to Reach Finals

[Anchor]

The national baseball team, packed with star players, suffered a humiliating upset. In a shocking defeat against a Japanese squad consisting of amateur industrial league players—equivalent to our corporate teams—the team has been pushed to a crisis where it must rely on complex scenarios to reach the finals.

Reporter Seo Donggyun has the details.

[Reporter]

South Korea handed the initiative to Japan in the third inning.

Starting pitcher So Hyung-jun self-inflicted a jam with one out and runners on first and second, before allowing an RBI double down the left-field line to Mukoyama. Following that, South Korea gave up another run on an infielder's grounder and another due to a throwing error by shortstop Kim Joo-won, conceding three runs in the third inning alone.

In the bottom of the sixth, Cho Byung-hyun surrendered another run, and relief pitcher Park Young-hyun allowed an RBI single, pushing the deficit to 5-0.

Our batting lineup was completely shut down through seven innings by Japan's left-handed pitcher Higuchi, who took the mound after just three days of rest following an 89-pitch start on September 21.

Three double plays in key scoring opportunities proved especially painful.

Ultimately, the national team fell 5-0 to Japan, bringing its Super Round record to 1 win and 1 loss, which includes the preliminary win against Taiwan.

To advance to the finals, South Korea must defeat China tomorrow (September 26) to finish at 2-1 and then wait for the outcome between Taiwan and Japan.

If Japan defeats Taiwan, Japan finishes at 3-0, South Korea at 2-1, and Taiwan at 1-2, allowing South Korea to secure a spot in the finals. However, if Taiwan beats Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan will all finish with a 2-1 record, forcing the teams to rely on the Team Quality Balance (TQB), which calculates run differential per inning.

(Photo: Yonhap News) (Video by Kim Se-kyung | Video editing by Lee Jae-sung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.