The South Korean baseball team aims to continue its winning streak in the group stage against Hong Kong. After securing a victory in their opening match against Taiwan, South Korea will start Choi Min-seok (Doosan Bears) as the pitcher for this game.
Under the leadership of manager Ryu Ji-hyun, the team will face Hong Kong on September 22 at 6:30 PM at Toyohashi Municipal Stadium in Aichi Prefecture during the second match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games baseball Group B.
Choi Min-seok will take the mound for the match against Hong Kong. Born in 2006, this tournament marks his first appearance on the adult national team. The game will be his first competitive outing wearing the national jersey.
In his second year as a professional, Choi has established himself as a key member of the Doosan starting rotation this season. He has pitched in 25 regular-season games, throwing 138⅔ innings with a record of 14 wins and 4 losses, and an earned run average of 2.73. He has also recorded 121 strikeouts, tying for the league lead in wins with Lim Chan-kyu (LG Twins) and maintaining one of the top ERAs in the league.
South Korea won its opening group match against Taiwan 5-0 the previous day. Starting pitcher Kwak Bin (Doosan) did not allow a single hit over six innings, striking out 10 batters. Relievers Jo Byeong-hyeon (SSG Landers) and Park Young-hyeon (KT Wiz) also finished the game without allowing any runs.
In the first game, players from Doosan, including Kwak Bin and Park Jun-soon, contributed significantly to the victory. In the second game, Choi Min-seok will take over as the starting pitcher. For the national team, it is crucial to secure a win while managing their key pitchers, making Choi's performance vital.
Having already overcome what was considered the toughest challenge in the group stage against Taiwan, South Korea will be closer to advancing to the Super Round if they can defeat Hong Kong. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Round.
Hong Kong lost its opening group match to Thailand, 10-7. They initially led the game but allowed a significant number of runs in the later innings, resulting in the defeat. For the match against South Korea, right-handed pitcher Mak Jun-bae is expected to start.
After the game against Hong Kong, South Korea will play its final group match against Thailand on September 23. South Korean baseball has won gold medals in the last four consecutive Asian Games, from the 2010 Guangzhou Games to the 2022 Hangzhou Games, and aims for a fifth straight title in this tournament.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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