“We won’t be beaten twice by Taiwan”…Liu Zhong-il looks resolute after beating China in gold medal match
“We will prepare well so that we don’t lose to (Taiwan) twice. We will definitely win the gold medal,” said Ryu Jung-il, 60, head coach of the South Korean baseball team, who did not smile after beating China. Thinking about a rematch with Chinese Taipei for the gold medal in the final, he said with a determined look on his face.
South Korea defeated China 8-1 on Saturday in the baseball super round of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Center in Zhejiang, China. The Koreans, who defeated Japan the previous day (May 5), finished the Super Round with a 2-1 record, including one loss against Chinese Taipei, to advance to the final regardless of the outcome of the Chinese Taipei-Japan game later in the day. Chinese Taipei, which had beaten Korea in the group stage, had advanced to the final with a win over China the day before.
“We got an important game,” said Liu. Our starter Won Tae-in pitched well until the sixth inning and our catcher Kim Hyung-jun had a very good lead,” said Liu. “In the batting order, Kim Joo-won’s two-run homer in the first inning played a big role. Above all, it was encouraging to see Kang Baek-ho come back to life.”
South Korea took an early lead with two home runs. In the second inning, Kang Baek-ho led off with a single to right before Kim Joo-won blasted a two-run homer to right to put the game out of reach. In the third inning, Kang Baek-ho quenched his home run thirst with a solo shot to right to make it 3-0. Starting pitcher Won Tae-in pitched six innings of three-hit ball, 먹튀검증 striking out six and walking none to avenge his early exit from the World Baseball Classic (WBC) China in March. “The final is the last game, and I hope the bats will continue to hit well tomorrow,” Liu said.
South Korea was unable to capitalize on Taiwan’s left-handed starter Lin Yeou-min (six scoreless innings in the Arizona minor leagues) and fell to 0-4 on the second day. The final will likely feature some of Taiwan’s top pitchers, including Lin and Liu Hsieh-Lung (Boston Minors). South Korea will have most of its pitching staff available, including key pitcher Kwak Bin, who has been resting with bile in his back, and Moon Dong-ju, who started the previous game against Taiwan.
“I originally wanted to send Kwak-bin out after Won Tae-in (against China), but the score was close early on, so I saved him,” Ryu said. We’ll use him in the final,” Liu said. “We were beaten by a Taiwanese left-handed pitcher once, so we’ll focus more on that,” he added, reiterating his determination to win the gold medal.