*This content was translated by AI.
The South Korean national baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun (55), won three consecutive practice games with explosive hits.
The national team beat the KIA Tigers 6-3 in the fourth practice game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) held at Kadena Baseball Stadium in Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan on the 24th.
The completely revived lineup was encouraging. Park Hae-min led the victory with three hits in three at-bats (two doubles) and two RBIs. Kim Joo-won also played 2 hits and 2 RBIs in 3 at-bats. After hitting in the bottom of the third inning, Dimon felt pain in his left pinky during the first base ovation process and was replaced to protect the player. Fortunately, the training check was not enough to go to the hospital.
On the mound, Ko Young-pyo recorded two hits (one homer) and two outs (one walk) with four strikeouts and two runs in two ⅔ innings. There were difficulties, such as not finishing the inning within the limited number of pitches in the first inning, but his stable performance made him look forward to his next appearance. Kim Taek-yeon announced her good condition by pitching one scoreless inning, striking out one strikeout despite a physical hit that hits the glove directly.
The game was played until the beginning of the seventh inning regardless of victory or defeat. If the number of pitchers in the national team exceeds 20 pitches per inning, the inning is over after the at-bat, and KIA is limited to 25. The WBC pitch clock was applied only to the national team, and the national team used the WBC official ball and the KIA used the KBO official ball.
On this day, the national team consisted of Kim Joo-won (striker), Ahn Hyun-min (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (designated hitter), Moon Bo-kyung (first baseman), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Moon Hyun-bin (left wing), Park Hae-min (middle fielder), Kim Hyung-joon (possessed) and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Ko Young-pyo.
Against this, KIA formed a lineup of Jerid Jeil (striker), Kim Ho-ryeong (midfielder), Yoon Do-hyun (second baseman), Harold Castro (designated hitter), Oh Sun-woo (first baseman), Han Jun-su (catcher), Han Seung-yeon (left fielder), Kim Kyu-sung (third baseman), and Park Jung-woo (right fielder). The starting pitcher is Kim Tae-hyung.
KIA scored the first run. In the top of the first inning, when leadoff batter Dale walked and got on base, Castro sent Ko Young-pyo's 129km/h slider out of the right fence. KIA's 2-0 lead.
The national team also immediately pursued him. In the bottom of the first inning, leadoff hitter Kim Joo-won made a hit to the right, Ahn Hyun-min walked, and Kim Do-young made a fly ball to right field with one out and runners on second and third bases. Moon Bo-kyung's sacrifice fly to center field scored an RBI, and the follow-up hit did not explode. Ko Young-pyo, who failed to finish the first inning due to the limit on the number of pitches, finished the inning with two strikeouts in the second inning.
The national team succeeded in turning the tables. In the bottom of the second inning, leadoff hitter Park Hae-min hit a heavy hit. While Kim Tae-hyung grounded out Kim Hyung-joon and Shin Min-jae, he became a third base with two outs. KIA second baseman Yoon Do-hyun failed to catch Kim Joo-won's strong ground ball, making it a 2-2 tie.
From then on, Kim Tae-hyung was shaken. Ahn Hyun-min had a hit to the left and Kim Do-young walked, causing a bases-loaded crisis, and Moon Bo-kyung made a 3-2 turnaround with a pushed walk. In the end, Kim Tae-hyung exceeded 25 pitches and failed to finish the second inning.
The national team scored a lot in the third inning. Leading hitter Noh Si-hwan made a throwing error to the third baseman and Moon Hyun-bin got on base with a hit to the left. Park Hae-min made the second and third bases with no outs with a two-run timely hit that lightly crossed the infield. Hwang Dong-ha struck out Kim Hyung-joon and Shin Min-jae, respectively, and grounded out, but Kim Joo-won led the national team to a 6-2 lead with a two-run timely hit that penetrated between the first and second bases.
Kim Noh Kyung-eun finished the inning without losing a point in the top of the fourth inning, followed by Kim Taek-yeon, who joined last in the top of the fifth inning. Kim Taek-yeon, who struck out Park Jung-woo, the first batter, caught Dale with a grounder to the pitcher. At that time, Dale's ball hit Kim Taek-yeon's glove, causing a dizzying situation in which pitching coach Kim Kwang-sam was dispatched. Fortunately, it wasn't a big problem, and he caught Yoon Do-hyun with a fly ball to right field to finish the inning.
KIA recovered a run in the sixth inning. With one out, Chung Hyun-chang's ball split the outfield in the left-center, and the disappointing defense continued to make a triple. Subsequently, as Joo Hyo-sang hit a bases-loaded hit, Chung Hyun-chang homered and KIA caught up with 6-3.
Since then, no additional points have been scored, and the national team's three consecutive wins have been confirmed. The game, which was scheduled until the end of the seventh inning, was only held and ended at the beginning of the seventh inning due to the replacement of player protection during the game and the granting of some player rest.
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*This content was translated by AI.




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