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The national baseball team set a monumental record against Hong Kong. Starting pitcher Choi Min-seok and all the following pitchers did not allow a single hit, walk, or baserunner, securing a mercy-rule victory via a team perfect game.

Reporter Lee Seonghun has more.

[Reporter]

After displaying a no-hit run up to the ninth inning with one out against Taiwan yesterday (September 21), the national team's pitching staff overwhelmed the weaker Hong Kong batting lineup even more fiercely today.

Following Choi Min-seok's two perfect innings, Kim Jin-wook, Choi Jun-yong, Kim Young-woo, Bae Chan-seung, and Sung Young-tak all put on a strikeout show without allowing a single baserunner.

The national team's offense took control early when Noh Si-hwan hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and then effectively sealed the game early with Cho Hyung-woo's grand slam in the third.

Adding three runs each in the fifth and seventh innings to pull ahead by 13 runs, the national team closed out the game when left fielder Moon Hyun-bin tracked down a deep hit to left-center by the first batter in the seventh and secured it, followed by a strikeout on the final batter. This completed a 13-0 mercy-rule victory and the national team's first-ever "team perfect game" in an international competition since professional players began participating.

Having secured consecutive shutout victories, the national team will play its third match against Thailand tomorrow.

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The national football team secured a 2-0 victory against Saudi Arabia in their second match with consecutive goals scored in the second half by Shin Minha and Kim Myung-jun, passing the group stage with two consecutive wins and finishing first in their group.

The national team will compete for a spot in the semifinals against Vietnam, which finished second in Group C, three days later.

(Video by Park Jin-ho, Choi Dae-woong | Video Editing by Yoon Tae-ho)