Korea routs Thailand 14-0 to finish top of group in U18 Asian Baseball Championship
Three straight wins secured a berth in the Super Round, where the team will face Japan, considered the top dog at the tournament.
A U18 Asian Baseball Championship match between Korea and Thailand in Chinese Taipei on Sept. 9
KOREA BASEBALL SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION
Korea’s under-18 national baseball team finished the Opening Round of the U18 Asian Baseball Championship with three consecutive wins.
Korea beat Thailand 14-0 in five innings as the mercy rule ended the matchup prematurely in the third Group B game at XinZhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City, Chinese Taipei, on Wednesday.
Korea’s pitchers delivered a perfect five-inning performance despite the rainy weather. They did not allow a single batter to reach base.
Starter Kim Min-hun struck out four over his scheduled two innings before Han Kyu-min, Gwak Do-hyeon and Yoon Ye-sung each pitched an inning. The three relievers struck out every batter they faced.
Korea scored 14 runs on seven hits. Korea’s first home run of the tournament came from Hwang Seong-hyun, who belted a three-run hit over the left-field fence in the fourth inning to turn an 11-0 lead into a 14-0 rout. Hitters Eom Jun-sang, Lee Ho-min and Won Ji-woo also doubled.
After opening the tournament with a 2-0 victory over a tough Chinese Taipei team, Korea cruised past Singapore 15-0 under the mercy rule in its second game.
Wednesday’s victory over Thailand helped Korea secure the top spot in Group B.
Korea advanced to the Super Round along with second-place Taiwan, which finished with two wins and one loss.
After a day off Thursday, Korea will face Group A winner Japan in its first Super Round game Friday and Group A runner-up the Philippines on Saturday. All Super Round games, as well as the bronze medal game and final, will be played at the Taipei Dome.
A victory over Japan, widely regarded as the top Asian baseball powerhouse, would secure Korea a place in the final.
“No matter who we face, we have to give it our best,” Korea manager Jung Youn-jin told his players after the Singapore game.
BY BAE YOUNG-EUN [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
