At the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) reaffirmed Japan’s high barriers. In the second game of the group stage, they lost to Japan 4-13. The Koreans scored three runs in the first inning against starter Darvish Yu (San Diego), but were held to three hits and one run over six innings by Shota Imanaka (Yokohama), Yuki Udagawa (Orix), Yuki Matsui (Rakuten), and Hiroto Takahashi (Junichi). Ten pitchers, including starter Kim Kwang-hyun, gave up 13 hits and nine walks.굿모닝토토 도메인
We didn’t have enough power to hold on to the lead after taking the lead. We were expecting a tough game, but the difference in quality was much greater than expected. In their last international appearance at full strength, they were shut out by Japan. With Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels free agent) in the lineup, Japan defeated the United States to win their first title in 14 years.
Another Korea-Japan game awaits. The Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) begins on June 16 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. It’s a tournament for young players aged 24 or younger (born after Jan. 1, 1999) and in their third year of professional baseball (signed after 2021). Up to three players aged 29 or younger (born on or after January 1, 1994) can compete as wild cards.
The Korean team is led by Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha), who led the league in home runs this season, Kim Hye-sung (Heroes), Park Young-hyun (KT), and Moon Dong-joo (Hanwha), who won the Asian Games.
The starting pitchers for Korea’s game against Japan have been announced. Seibu Lions left-hander Chihiro Sumida (24) will start against Korea.
will start against Korea. He is a second-year college graduate who joined the organization as the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft.
He has pitched with the first team since his rookie season. Started 14 of 16 games, going 1-10 with a 3.75 ERA. This year, he started all 22 games and went 9-10 with a 3.44 ERA. He hasn’t had much luck, extending his losing streak to 12 games, dating back to last season. On Aug. 9, he threw a nine-inning, 132-pitch, five-hit, 11-strikeout shutout against the SoftBank Hawks.
He throws a variety of pitches, including a curveball, slider forkball changeup and two-seam fastball, but his main weapon is his changeup. In 131 innings, he struck out 128 batters, mostly with his changeup. His fastball can reach up to 150 kilometers per hour.
South Korea will face Australia, Japan, and Chinese Taipei from June 16-18. If South Korea advances to the final on the 19th, they will likely face Japan.
The starting pitcher for the final game (either the final or the third-place game) has also been named. It’s Seibu right-hander Matsuya Imai, 25. He joined as a wild card. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft. He reached double-digit wins for the first time in his seventh year as a pro. 10-5 with a 2.30 ERA in 19 games this year.
Threw a complete game shutout against the Chiba Lotte Marines on April 13, allowing two runs on nine hits and 138 pitches with 11 strikeouts. He was sent down to the second team for over a month in the first half of the season due to illness. In July, he went 3-0 with a 0.62 ERA and earned his first monthly MVP honor.
The Japanese national team, coached by Hirokazu Ibata, is currently training in Miyazaki.