It was a disappointing loss, but I fought without regret. It was a game that revealed hopes for the future.
South Korea lost the final game of the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) to Japan, 3-4, at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on Monday.
After picking up their first win of the tournament against Australia in the first round of qualifying, thanks to a walk-off hit by Noh Si-hwan, Korea fell short against Japan in the second round, 1-0. However, they punched their ticket to the final with a 6-1 victory over Chinese Taipei in the third game. In the final, they met Japan again in a game that went to extra innings. With runners on first and second, Korea took the lead again in the top of the 10th inning when Yoon Dong-hee hit an RBI single to make it 3-2. However, with runners on first and second and three outs in the bottom of the 10th, reliever Jung Hae-young gave up two runs on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single.
“Like AG, we will lead the team from a preliminary loss to a final victory.”
Korea advanced to the final with a 2-1 record in the preliminary round and met Japan, who had the only loss in the final. Japan had won three games in the preliminary round.
The first game between Korea and Japan was a close affair. Korean starting pitcher Lee Yi-ri (KIA) faced a bases-loaded situation in the first inning, but was able to get out of it. In the third inning, he faced the top of the order with no outs, but induced a grounder to short to turn two outs into a run. In the bottom of the fourth, a throw to the leadoff batter was misplayed and turned into a home run, giving up two runs. However, he kept his ‘lefty ace’ pride intact by not allowing another run until the sixth inning. Lee was followed by Oh Won-seok and Choi Jun-yong, who each pitched one scoreless inning.
Lee had some help from catcher Kim Hyung-jun. He used his strong shoulders to prevent runners from stealing in crunch time and recorded two outs. After the game, Japan’s head coach Hirokazu Ibata said, “We prepared for stolen bases and other tactics, but the Korean catcher’s handling and throwing were excellent,” and added, “Pitching was also harder than it looks in the video. There were parts where (the quick motion) was too fast. This is my mistake, but the players gave it their all. Even if they get an out, I want them to keep doing as much as they can,” he said, adding that he admired Kim Hyung-joon’s ability.
With the bases loaded and South Korea trailing 0-2 in the top of the ninth, Kim Hwi-jip hit a game-winning solo home run off Kazuto Taguchi, who recorded his 33rd save of the year. On 3B 1S, a 141-kilometer fastball came in a little high, and he swung at it, sending it over the left-center field fence.
It gave them a one-run lead, but they couldn’t follow through and lost the game. With the win, Japan clinched a spot in the final early.
Despite losing the game, the Korean team was full of can-do confidence and motivation to meet in the final.
Japan, on the other hand, was looking to build on their momentum from the first edition in 2017. Only three countries participated in the first edition, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, and Japan defeated Korea in the final to win the title. Although it was a matchup of “up-and-comers,” Japan wanted to prove that it was the “strongest country in Asia” by winning the tournament.
“A game that will help us improve our experience.”
Speaking ahead of the game, Ryu Jung-il said, “Today’s pitching staff will be decided based on the situation,” adding, “Moon Dong-ju, who pitched in the first game, will not start. The goal is to improve the young players’ skills, but I hope they are less greedy for results. It would be great to win, but we have to try different players. We’ll start with Kwak Bin and use left and right-handed pitchers depending on the situation,” he said.
When asked if the tournament will have a similar atmosphere to the Asian Games, Ryu said, “I hope the APBC will be a tournament for players to improve their skills. I hope it will be an opportunity for young players to improve their skills and raise the level of Korean baseball.”
Korea Lineup
Kim Hye-sung (2B)-Kim Do-young (3B)-Yoon Dong-hee (R)-No Si-hwan (1B)-Kim Hwi-jip (designated hitter)-Kim Joo-won (shortstop)-Kim Hyung-joon (catcher)-Moon Hyun-bin (left fielder)-Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder) Starting pitcher Kwak Bin.
Japan lineup
Kyota Fujiwara (designated hitter) – Kaito Gozono (shortstop) – Shota Morishita (left fielder) – Shugo Maki (first baseman) – Shogo Sakura (catcher) – Chusei Mannami (right fielder) – Makoto Kadawaki (second baseman) – Teruaki Sato (third baseman) – Yuki Okabayashi (center fielder) Starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai.
South Korea made a few changes to their lineup from the first game against Australia. This was to give them the flexibility to utilize left and right-handed hitters. Against Australia in Game 1, the starting lineup was Kim Hye-sung (second base), Choi Ji-hoon (center field), Yoon Dong-hee (right field), Noh Si-hwan (first base), Moon Hyun-bin (left field), Kim Do-young (third base), Na Seung-yup (designated hitter), Kim Hyung-joon (catcher), and Kim Joo-won (shortstop) against right-hander Brody Cooper Vassalakis. Against Japanese left-hander Chihiro Sumida in Game 2, Kim Hye-sung (left fielder), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Noh Shi-hwan (first baseman), Moon Hyun-bin (designated hitter), Kim Hyung-joon (catcher), Kim Joo-won (shortstop), Park Seung-kyu (left fielder), and Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder) started.
Game 3 against Taiwan included Kim Hui-jip, who hit a home run against Japan. We also had seven right-handed batters in the lineup, considering that the Taiwanese starting pitcher was a left-hander. Kim Hye-sung (second baseman), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Noh Si-hwan (first baseman), Kim Hwi-jip (designated hitter), Kim Hyung-joon (catcher), Kim Joo-won (shortstop), Park Seung-gyu (left fielder), and Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder).
The lineup for the final was designed to capitalize on the form that the team had shown throughout the tournament and to attack the opposing pitcher, Imai. Imai is known for his fastball, which reaches 159 mph, and his changeup.
Korea’s starting lineup was Kim Hye-sung (second base), Kim Do-young (third base), Yoon Dong-hee (right field), Noh Si-hwan (first base), Kim Hwi-jip (designated hitter), Kim Joo-won (shortstop), Kim Hyung-joon (catcher), Moon Hyun-bin (left field), and Choi Ji-hoon (center field). Ryu said, “There is a change in the lineup today. Imai’s ball is fast and he has a changeup, so I think (Moon) Hyun-bin is better, so I put him in the starting lineup.” “Moon played the outfield at Hanwha and then came to the infield, so I don’t think there’s a problem with his defense,” Ryu explained.
Japan returned Maki Morishita to the starting lineup after being rested against Australia in a game that clinched a spot in the final.
“I will be recognized as an international pitcher.”
Kwak-Bin was known as the “Bae Myung-Go Otani” during his time at Bae Myung-Go. The Doosan Bears recognized his talent as a pitcher and selected him with the first overall pick in the 2018 KBO Draft. After going 3-1 with a 7.55 ERA in 32 games in 2018, he underwent elbow surgery and returned in 2021. After showing signs of improvement with four wins in 2021 and eight in 2022, Kwak went 12-7 with a 2.90 ERA in 23 games this year. Based on his fastball, there was even talk of him competing with Ahn Woo-jin for the top two spots in the league.
“I think Kwak Bin is a right-handed ace in Korea,” Ryu said.
Kwak Bin was also highly motivated for the tournament. He was selected for the national team at the Hangzhou Asian Games in September, but he didn’t play a single game due to back pain. South Korea won the championship, but Kwak Binh had an unpleasant word for it: “free ride”.
“I’m not a good player for the national team. No matter what the result is, I will admit it. If it’s a good result, it’s good, or I’ll use it as an opportunity to improve. I also want to be recognized by other countries as a player who can play on the international stage.” “If there is a world wall, I will feel it. I will do my best with the idea that this tournament is really a cliffhanger.”
Kwak got leadoff hitter Fujiwara to fly out to center field in the first inning and then got Gozono to fly out to right field. A 152-kilometer fastball was hit by Morishita, but he got Maki, the No. 4 hitter, to ground out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the second inning, there was a crisis. My pitches were suddenly shaky. He struck out the leadoff batter, Sakakura, on a slider, but gave up a double to Mannami, who had homered against Lee in the qualifiers, over the right field fence. It was a home run, but it hit the top of the right field fence. He got Kadawaki to fly out, but gave up singles to Sato and Okabayashi. But he got Fujiwara to fly out to center field to end the inning.
In the bottom of the third, leadoff hitter Gozono was hit by a pitch. Morishita grounded out to load the bases with one out, and Maki flied out to shortstop. A walk to Sakamura put runners on first and second. He faced Mannami but got a grounder to shortstop to end the threat.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the pitching came alive. He struck out leadoff hitter Kadawaki with a curveball and then struck out Sato with a 151-mph fastball. He gave up a single to Okabayashi, but struck out Fujiwara again with a changeup.
The first run came in the bottom of the fifth. Gozono and Morishita walked and struck out, respectively. Morishita’s bat went wide on a low curveball, but Maki took advantage of it. The second pitch from first base was driven up the middle for a home run. First run scored. Kwak Bin struck out Sakakura on a fly ball to end the inning.
Total pitch count: 88. Kwak took over the mound for Choi Seung-yong in the bottom of the sixth inning with a 2-1 lead.
Double-digit wins for the first time in seven years, ‘final appearance’ for the first time in seven years
Starting for Japan was Tatsuya Imai (25-Seibu Lions). He is a hard-throwing pitcher with a fastball that reaches 150 kilometers. His changeup is also considered to be excellent.
Imai, who joined Seibu as the No. 1 pick in 2016, made his first-team debut in 2018 and has a career record of 38-32 with a 3.69 ERA in 110 games,
This season was a banner year for Imai. This season, he went 10-5 with a 2.30 ERA, marking his first double-digit win season in seven years as a professional.
Japan’s Sponichi said, “This is the second time Imai has appeared in a final with the Japanese national team. In the 2016 U-18 World Cup final against Chinese Taipei, he pitched five innings of one-hit ball, and Japan won 1-0.”
Ryu said of Imai, “I saw a video of him training in Miyazaki, and he didn’t seem to have a good fastball at the time because he was coming off a break. He throws a lot of changeups.” “Sumida, too, has a fastball and a changeup that catches the count, so I think he’s that type. (Miazaki’s pitching video) showed him coming out of a break and not being able to throw his fastball, so he threw a changeup.”
Miazaki mixed a slider and changeup with a fastball that touched the mid-100 mph mark against the Korean bats. In the first inning, he got Kim Hye-sung to ground out and then Kim Do-young to strike out with a slider. He then hit a 155-kilometer fastball to Yoon Dong-hee for a hit, but got Noh Si-hwan to fly out.
After striking out the leadoff hitter, Kim Hwi-jip, in the second inning, Im struck out Kim Joo-won. However, he gave up a walk to Kim Hyung-joon and a fastball to Moon Bin for a hit. With runners on first and second, he got Choi Ji-hoon to fly out to left field to end the inning.
The first run came in the top of the third inning. Leadoff hitter Kim Hye-sung drew a walk, and Kim Do-young’s grounder to first base was followed by a fielding error. Yoon Dong-hee struck out, but Noh Si-hwan hit a slider to perfect left-center field to load the bases with two outs. Kim Hwijip and Kim Joo-won then both grounded out.
In the top of the fourth, Kim Hyung-jun and Moon Hyun-bin were retired on a grounder and a strikeout, respectively. Choi Ji-hoon and Kim Hye-sung followed with back-to-back singles to put runners on first and third, but Kim Do-young’s groundout ended the threat.
The Korean bats continued to pound the ball, but they couldn’t hold on much longer. Eventually, after 77 pitches, Imai left the game in the fifth inning.
No. 4 batsman’s ego battle is ‘no joke’
The first run of the day came from Korea’s No. 4 hitter. Noh Si-hwan has played in 131 games this season, batting 2-for-9 with eight doubles and 31 home runs. The KBO just crowned its first home run king since 2000.
Noh didn’t miss Imai’s slider for a double.
Japan’s No. 4 hitter made a name for himself. After hitting 21 homers in his first year as a pro in 2021, Maki has shown steady improvement, hitting 24 homers last year and 29 this year.
After a strikeout and a walk to Kwak Bin in his previous at-bat, Maki sent Kwak’s curveball over the fence with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Japan was now down 1-2.
Thorough game plan. Japan’s composure to tie the game
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Doosan removed Kwak Bin, who threw a total of 88 pitches, and brought up Choi Seung-yong. Choi had pitched 1⅔ scoreless innings against Australia, throwing 33 pitches. He walked two and struck out four. Against Chinese Taipei, Choi pitched one scoreless inning to become the team’s top left-hander.
He got off to a shaky start. He gave up a leadoff double to Mannami. Kadawaki followed with a sacrifice bunt to load the bases, and Sato tied the game with an outfield sacrifice fly to center field.
Choi then got Okabayashi to ground out to end the inning.
▲ So perfect as a pitcher…
South Korea sent Choi Jun-yong to the mound in the seventh inning. At the end of the season, there was talk of a two-hitting job. “I want to play baseball without getting sick,” he said, as he struggled with injuries while pitching.
The APBC was the stage where he showed why he needs to keep pitching. In the last game against Japan, he pitched a one-hit shutout. After the game, Choi said, “I was satisfied that I was able to get a strikeout with my fastball, which is my main weapon.”
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Choi once again pitched a clean game. He got Fujiwara to fly out to left field and grounded out both Gojono and Morishita.
Trouble came in the bottom of the eighth. Maki grounded out to second base to load the bases with one out. But back-to-back singles by Sakakura and Mannami put runners on first and second.
Choi Ji-min came in to put out the fire.
147 km high fastball… A cool breeze blew in the day
Choi battled Kadawaki for eight pitches. Kadawaki showed her concentration by fouling off Choi’s pitches four times. 2B 2S 8th inning. The Choi Ji-min-Kim Hyung-joon battery opted for a high fastball. A 147-kilometer fastball flew by, and Kadoki’s bat cracked the air. Korea could breathe a sigh of relief. Choi Ji-min calmly got Sato to ground out to second base to end the inning.
Japan’s defense was also solid
The final offense in the top of the ninth inning. Japan brought up Taguchi, who had homered off Kim Hui-jip in the preliminary round. Park Seung-kyu walked on 10 pitches, but was hit by a pitch. Choi Ji-hoon followed with a line drive to right field that looked like it was going to be a long ball, but right fielder Mannami was quick to follow and got the ball in her glove at the last second. Kim Hye-sung followed with a good pitch, but it went straight to the second baseman.
In the bottom of the ninth, Choi Ji-min again shut down the Japanese bats, sending the game into extra innings.
It was a good save…through and through
In the top of the 10th, Kim Do-young walked, but Yoon Dong-hee singled to load the bases. Noh Si-hwan singled to put runners on first and third, but Kim Hwijip struck out.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, Jeong Jung-young came on to pitch. Japan put runners on first and second with a leadoff sacrifice bunt. With one out, Sakakura’s sacrifice fly tied the game at 3-3.
With runners on first and third, Mannami, who had a long hitting streak, was hit by a pitch to put Kadoki in scoring position, but eventually gave up a single to left field.
“Regrets behind us…satisfied with the game”
After the game, Ryu said, “I’m disappointed with the loss. However, I was very happy with the game. I really want to applaud the players of both teams.” 아톰카지노 주소
“Even though we lost, it was a great experience to come here. The Japanese players were very good and I learned a lot from playing with them. It was a tournament where I felt a lot of things.”
The MVP award went to Kadawaki for his game-winning hit. “I think it was because I got the last hit. I’m glad I capitalized on the opportunity.”
“We played two games against Korea, and we won, but it was by a very small margin,” Ibata said. It would have been nice if Korea had won both games. Their batters had sharp swings. There were a lot of things we can learn from them. The pitchers had good pitches and threw their changeups in the count. All four Korean starters were over 150 kilometers per hour. It’s scary to think that they brought four good players so young,” he said.
