Lee tosses six shutout innings in start against Japan
South Korea’s baseball team in trouble and headed to the finals
No. 4 hitter Noh Si-hwan hits two RBIs

Park Se-woong of South Korea’s baseball team celebrates after saving the day in the fourth inning against Japan during their Super Round match at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at Baseball and Softball Sports Center 1 in Shaoxing on Friday. SAOXING

Park Se-woong (28, Lotte), the eldest member of the Asian Games baseball team, saved Korean baseball from a crisis. The right-hander took the mound in the fateful game against Japan and pitched six innings of two-hit ball, striking out nine and giving up no runs. He also made a strong impression against Japan at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March this year, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings with the bases loaded and no outs, making him the new Japan Killer.

Ryu Joong-il’s baseball team defeated Japan 2-0 in the first game of the Baseball Super Round at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on Friday at the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Center 1 in China. With the win, the red light turned to blue for Korea’s baseball team.

The Koreans, who entered the Super Round as the second-ranked team after losing to Chinese Taipei in the group stage, have one win and one loss, while Japan온라인카지노, whose team is composed of unemployed baseball players, has two losses. A win against China on Saturday at 1 p.m. will boost their chances of reaching the final.

Head coach Liu Zhong-il high-fives his players after the win. SAOXING, China

The team’s batting lineup struggled against Japanese fastball pitcher Shuichiro Kyo, a member of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Organization. Park Se-woong stood firm on the mound as the bats failed to break through. A walk and a hit put runners on first and third in the first inning, but Park retired the next two batters on a foul fly and a strikeout to end the inning. After retiring the first two batters in order in the second and third innings, Park retired the next three batters in order in the fourth and fifth innings. He also retired the side in order in the top of the sixth.

After Park finished his work, the bats responded. In the bottom of the sixth, leadoff hitter Kim Hye-sung (Kiwoom) singled up the middle and advanced to second on a throwing error by the opposing center fielder. Choi Ji-hoon (SSG) followed with a sacrifice bunt to put runners on first and third, and then Yoon Dong-hee (Lotte) drew a walk. Then, on a 1-3 pitch, Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha) hit an outfield sacrifice fly to score the first run.

With a 1-0 lead, Team Korea turned to its bullpen in the seventh inning. Left-hander Choi Ji-min (KIA) in the top of the seventh and right-hander Park Young-hyun (KT) in the top of the eighth pitched scoreless innings. In the bottom of the eighth, Noh Si-hwan hit an RBI single to seal the win, and in the top of the ninth, Park Young-hyun worked out of a bases-loaded jam to end the game.

National team players celebrate after scoring the winning run in the eighth inning. SAO XING=Newsis

Park said after the game, “(I’m) roommates with Kyun-an, and we jokingly said, ‘Why do I only go out in important situations, not even in the WBC,'” but added, “They picked me to play such an important role, and I want to give them a lot of credit for doing my part as best I can.” Manager Ryu Jung-il also praised Park Se-woong, saying, “He did a good job until the sixth inning.”

Park’s strong pitching on the day also washed away the pain from the game against Taiwan on the 2nd. Park gave up one hit and two four-pitchers in 0.2 innings of work in the fifth inning against Chinese Taipei. “I wanted to make up for my disappointment,” he explained.

Park, who hasn’t hidden his desire for gold, will also pitch in the final on Sunday. “In high school, I pitched the day after the game, so if I can help my team win, I will pitch according to the situation,” he said, adding, “In the dugout, I will be a senior who can help the younger players.”