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Korea hits home run game in final exhibition against Orix Buffaloes

Published: 03 Mar. 2026, 20:00

Kim Do-yeong celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Orix Buffaloes during an exhibition game ahead of the World Baseball Classic at Kyocera Dome in Osaka on March 3. [YONHAP]

Powered by home runs from a trio of sluggers, Korea won its final exhibition game before the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in Japan on Tuesday.

Kim Do-yeong homered for the second straight day and Shay Whitcomb launched his first dinger for Korea, before Ahn Hyun-min joined the party with a solo shot to lift Korea past the Orix Buffaloes 8-5 at Kyocera Dome in Osaka.

Dane Dunning tossed three shutout innings in his Korea debut, and then five Korean pitchers and two Japanese pitchers took care of the rest.

Korea will now travel to Tokyo for an official practice Wednesday at Tokyo Dome and its first Pool C game of the WBC against Czechia at 7 p.m. Thursday at the iconic stadium.

Korea will then face Japan at 7 p.m. Saturday, Chinese Taipei at noon Sunday, and Australia at 7 p.m. Monday.

Dane Dunning pitches against the Orix Buffaloes during an exhibition game ahead of the World Baseball Classic at Kyocera Dome in Osaka on March 3. [YONHAP]

The top two teams from the group will advance to the quarterfinals in Miami. Korea failed to make it past the first round at each of the past three editions of the WBC in 2013, 2017 and 2023.

After going down in order in the top of the first inning, Korea batted around and put up a six-spot in the second inning.

Korea loaded the bases against starter Raiku Katayama with a single and two walks, and Park Dong-won knocked in the opening run with a single. A fielder's choice groundout by Kim Ju-won put Korea up 2-0.

Shay Whitcomb celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Orix Buffaloes during an exhibition game ahead of the World Baseball Classic at Kyocera Dome in Osaka on March 3. [YONHAP]

Then with two runners aboard, Kim Do-yeong hammered a three-run blast for his second home run in as many days to give Korea a 5-0 lead, knocking Katayama out of the game in the process.

New pitcher Shota Abe hit Jahmai Jones, who promptly stole second. After a walk to Lee Jung-hoo, Ahn Hyun-min, batting for the second time in the inning, brought Jones home with a double to left field for a 6-0 lead.

Korea starter Dane Dunning worked three scoreless innings, but then the Buffaloes got three runs off the Korean bullpen in the fourth inning.

Jahmai Jones flashes a finger heart after hitting a single against the Orix Buffaloes during an exhibition game ahead of the World Baseball Classic at Kyocera Dome in Osaka on March 3. [YONHAP]

Left-hander Song Seung-ki loaded the bases with a walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch, setting the stage for Yuma Mune's two-run single.

Song walked another batter to load the bases again, and got the hook in favor of Go Woo-suk, who walked Kotaro Kurebayashi to make it a 6-3 game.

But Korea went back up by four in the top fifth, courtesy of Shay Whitcomb's solo home run off Nobuyoshi Yamada.

Korea's shaky bullpen made things more interesting in the late innings.

Jo Byeong-hyeon wiggled his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, but You Yeong-chan couldn't avoid damage in the eighth, when he served up two runs on a sacrifice fly and a single.

But Ahn stepped up in the top ninth and hammered a no-doubter of a solo home run to round out the scoring. Korea pounded out 10 hits.

Yonhap