*This content was translated by AI.
It's a terrible relationship with Korean baseball. Following the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), he met Taiwan again in Baseball 5.
The Korean Baseball 5 national team, led by head coach Kim Young-woo, won 2-0 against Vietnam in three Super Round matches of the "3rd Baseball 5 Asia Cup" in Hong Kong on the 30th.
There was a big difference in skills. The national team has strengthened its power by reinforcing former elite baseball players such as captain Lee Han-byul and Kwon Jong-won, as well as Lee Hyun, Cho Ki-hyun and Joo Young-joon. Women's players were also joined by veteran Lee Ji-won, Lee Ji-yea and Won Chae-min from the under-18 national team, and softball players Jeong Seo-young and Kang Seung-bi.
Amid the players' even performance, they defeated Vietnam 20-3 in the first set and 15-2 in the second set. However, they lost 0-2 in the last Super Round match against Japan, advancing to the semifinals as fourth place in the Super Round after Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.
South Korea will play the semifinals at 12:30 p.m. on the 31st against Taiwan, which ranked first in the Super Round with its victory in the tournament. If they win the match, they will advance to the final, and if they lose, they will have a bronze medal match against the loser of the semi-finals between Japan and Thailand.
A total of nine Asian countries participated in this competition, divided into three groups of three teams each. The semi-finals and finals will be played after a super round between the top two teams in each group.
South Korea played qualifying rounds with Bangladesh and Hong Kong in Group A. The national team, which won the first match against Bangladesh, won the first set 15-3 with a 14-run joint by male players composed of Kwon Jong-won, Cho Ki-hyun and Lee Han-byeol in the match against host Hong Kong.
In the following second set, he was dragged 3-1 by Hong Kong, but Lee Han-byeol's walk-off hit in the last inning made a 4-3 comeback to win the set score 2-0.
The national team, which advanced to the Super Round as the No. 1 player in Group A (2-0), lost 1-2 against Thailand in the first Super Round match on the 29th. The national team, which brought the first set to 6-5 amid Lee Ji-ye's injury fighting spirit, lost 9-12 in the second set, which featured three women.
In the third set, they fought hard until overtime, but lost 11-12 unfortunately and gave up the game. In the second Super Round match against Taiwan held on the afternoon of the same day, the national team, which failed to operate the best line-up due to injury, lost 0-2.
If they beat Taiwan, they will win the right to participate in the "2026 World Baseball Softball Federation (WBSC) Baseball 5 World Cup," which will be given to the top three teams in this tournament. The national team is aiming to advance to the World Cup in Puerto Rico this December.
The national team's journey to the World Cup will be broadcast live on the official YouTube channel of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).
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*This content was translated by AI.
