The South Korean national baseball team, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, achieved a cold game victory against Hong Kong, marking their second consecutive win.
On September 22, at the Toyohashi Municipal Stadium in Aichi, Japan, South Korea defeated Hong Kong 13-0 in their second match of the B group in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games baseball preliminary round.
From the start, South Korea dominated the game. In the top of the first inning, with two outs, Kim Do-young reached base with an infield hit, setting the stage for No Si-hwan, who hit a two-run homer to give South Korea the lead. In the second inning, Kim Ji-chan added another run with a timely hit, extending the lead to 3-0.
In the third inning, Jo Hyung-woo delivered a decisive grand slam. After Moon Bo-kyung's single, Park Jun-soon was hit by a pitch, and Moon Hyun-bin walked, Jo hit a grand slam to left field, increasing the score to 7-0.
In the top of the fifth inning, Kim Ji-chan contributed a two-run single, followed by Yoon Dong-hee adding another run, pushing the score to 10-0. In the top of the seventh inning, timely hits from Yoon Dong-hee and Park Jae-hyun, along with a sacrifice fly from Jeong Jun-jae, added three more runs, bringing the final score to 13-0.
On the mound, starter Choi Min-seok pitched two innings, striking out two batters without allowing any runs. Following him, Kim Jin-wook, Choi Jun-yong, Kim Young-woo, Bae Chan-seung, and Seong Young-tak took the mound in succession, shutting out the Hong Kong lineup without a hit.
South Korea ended the game by preventing Hong Kong from scoring in the bottom of the seventh inning. In Asian Games baseball, a cold game is declared if the score difference exceeds 15 runs after the fifth inning or 10 runs after the seventh inning.
Following their 5-0 victory over Taiwan the previous day, South Korea's win against Hong Kong brings them closer to a fifth consecutive championship. The team is aiming for a fifth straight title, having won in Guangzhou in 2010, Incheon in 2014, Jakarta-Palembang in 2018, and Hangzhou in 2022.
South Korea will face Thailand in their final group match on September 23 at noon. The Super Round is scheduled for September 25-26, with the medal matches taking place on September 27.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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