Ryu Joong-il dominates Hong Kong.
The South Korean baseball team, led by Ryu Jung-il, defeated Hong Kong on October 1 at the Xiaoxing Baseball & Softball Center Baseball Field 1 in Xiaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China, in the first game of their Group B matchup at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.
The team opened the tournament with a 10-0 cold game victory in the eighth inning.
Coach Ryu Jung-il started Won Tae-in in the first game against Hong Kong. The starting lineup consisted of Kim Hye-sung (2B), Choi Ji-hoon (CF), Noh Si-hwan (3B), Kang Baek-ho (DH), Moon Bo-kyung (1B), Yoon Dong-hee (RF), Park Sung-sung (SS), Kim Hyung-joon (C), and Kim Sung-yoon (LF). Yoon Dong-hee, who was initially expected to play a bench role, was named to the starting lineup.
For Hong Kong, right-hander Leung Chung-hei took the mound.
The national team struck first in the bottom of the first inning. Choi Ji-hoon led off with an infield single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Noh Si-hwan drew a walk to put two runners on base, and although Kang Baek-ho struck out, Moon Bo-kyung singled between the first and second base lines to bring in Choi Ji-hoon. The Koreans were unable to add another run as Yoon Dong-hee grounded out to the infield.
Hong Kong switched pitchers in the second inning to left-hander Lee Ho-tz.
Park Sung-sung led off with a walk and Kim Hyung-joon followed with a single. Park stole second base to put the tying run in scoring position, but Kim Sung-yoon struck out and Kim Hye-sung grounded out.
In the bottom of the third, Choi Ji-hoon led off with a bunt and advanced to second on a throwing error. Noh Si-hwan drew a walk to put runners on first and second, but Kang Baek-ho’s line drive to right was caught by Taiwanese right fielder Ng Yau-fang with a spectacular diving catch, leaving Choi stranded at second base. Moon Bo-kyung was retired on a foul fly to end the inning.
Team Korea added a run in the fourth inning. Yoon Dong-hee led off with an infield single and Park Sung-sung followed with a single to put runners on first and second with no outs. After Kim Hyung-joon walked, Kim Sung-yoon drew a walk to load the bases, and with the bases loaded, “Captain” Kim Hye-sung hit a two-run double against the new pitcher. After Choi Ji-hoon struck out, Noh Si-hwan drew a walk, but Kang Baek-ho struck out to end the threat.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Moon Bo-kyung led off with a single to center field but was stranded. Yoon Dong-hee flied out to center field and Park Sung-sung grounded out to short.
The national team missed a chance in the bottom of the sixth inning. Kim Hyung-jun and Kim Sung-yoon led off with back-to-back singles. After Kim walked, the runners advanced to second and third on a pitcher’s walk, but Choi Ji-hoon grounded out and Noh Si-hwan struck out.
In the bottom of the seventh, Kang Baek-ho struck out, but Moon Bo-kyung led off with a walk and advanced to third on a throwing error. After Yoon Dong-hee was retired on a foul fly, Park Sung-ki singled to center, but Kim Hyung-joon was stranded at second.
The final run came in the bottom of the eighth inning. After leadoff hitter Kim Sung-yoon failed to hit a bunt, Kim Hye-sung doubled. Choi Ji-hoon followed with a single to put runners on first and third, and Noh Si-hwan hit a hard single through the 먹튀검증 infield to bring in Kim. Kang Baek-ho followed with a walk, Moon Bo-kyung drew a bases-loaded walk, Yoon Dong-hee doubled, and Park Sung-sung followed with a sacrifice fly. Kim Hyung-joon singled and Kim Sung-yoon walked to load the bases again, and Kim Hye-sung came through with the winning run.
Won Tae-in pitched four scoreless innings for the Korean National Team. The bullpen was activated in the fifth inning, with Jung Woo-young closing out the fifth, Choi Ji-min the sixth, Jang Hyun-seok the seventh, and Park Young-hyun the eighth.