Toyohashi:The four-time defending champion South Korea was defeated by Japan 5-0, marking its first loss in the Asian Games baseball tournament. The game took place at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium, located approximately 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea, comprised of stars from the Korea Baseball Organization, managed only four hits against a Japanese team composed of amateurs. Both teams advanced to the Super Round after winning all three of their preliminary stage matches, alongside Chinese Taipei and China.
South Korea's Super Round record is now 1-1, following a previous victory over Chinese Taipei in the group phase. Japan, having defeated China earlier, improved its record to 2-0. South Korea will face China, and Japan will play against Chinese Taipei on Friday.
If South Korea and Japan both win their Friday games, they will compete for the gold medal on Sunday in Toyohashi. However, a different scenario will arise if South Korea wins and Japan loses to Chinese Taipei, resulting in a three-way tie with a 2-1 record. In such a case, the Team Quality Balance (TQB) formula will be used to determine the finalist. TQB is calculated by subtracting the ratio of runs allowed to defensive innings from the ratio of runs scored to offensive innings.
South Korea struggled against Japan's left-handed starter, Shin Higuchi, who allowed only four hits over seven innings while striking out four. The South Korean team also grounded into three double plays, contributing to their defeat.
South Korean starter So Hyeong-jun conceded three runs on four hits in three innings. Japan's first run came from a double by Motoki Mukoyama with runners on first and second. A groundout added another run, and a throwing error by South Korea's shortstop Kim Ju-won gave Japan a 3-0 lead. Reliever Jo Byeong-hyeon allowed two more runs in the sixth inning.
South Korea's manager, Ryu Ji-hyun, expressed surprise at the potential need for a tiebreaker. He noted that this was the second occasion in the tournament where South Korea struggled against a left-handed pitcher, previously scoring only one unearned run against Lin Yi-wei of Chinese Taipei. Ryu stated, "We knew left-handers for both Japan and Chinese Taipei would be the aces, and we tried to prepare accordingly. The game just didn't go our way today." He added, "When we were getting ready for this game, we never once thought about having to crunch numbers. We were hoping to win both games in the Super Round to get to the final."