Taiwan media Tan Shi: "Completely tied down by Kwon Bin's fastball, narrowly avoided no-hit humiliation" [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Taiwan national team bowed its head to the overwhelming pitching power of the Korean mound in their first match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Local Taiwanese media focused intensely on the silence of their own batting lineup, which was suppressed by the powerful pitching of South Korea's starter and ace Kwon Bin (27, Doosan Bears), expressing deep regret.

South Korea, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, secured a decisive 5-0 victory over Taiwan in the first match of Group B at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games baseball group stage held at Okazaki Central General Park Baseball Stadium in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan on the 21st.

Taiwan suffered greatly from persistent batting lineups' inability to make contact throughout the game. Unable to time even a single hit against the Korean pitching staff led by Kwon Bin and followed by Jo Byeong-hyun and Park Young-hyun's fastballs and sharp breaking balls, they were tightly held without any base-running opportunities until the eighth inning, nearly achieving a no-hit shutout.

Taiwan's "Yahoo Sports" stated, "Even the core batting lineup of Taiwan was repeatedly swinging at Kwon Bin's 150 km/h fastballs and dropping breaking balls," adding, "While Kwon Bin recorded double-digit strikeouts, Taiwanese batters were helplessly overwhelmed."

In the bottom of the ninth inning with one out, leadoff batter Chen Chien-wei's single to left field and Huang Wei-sheng's consecutive hits narrowly saved Taiwan from the humiliation of a no-hit no-run game. However, with two outs and runners on first and second, fourth batter Liu Zhi-hong was struck out swinging against Park Young-hyun's pitch, ultimately ending the match in a shutout loss.

"Yahoo Sports" also expressed deep regret over Taiwan's mound usage and defensive performance. The outlet noted, "Starting pitcher Lin Yi-wei pitched effectively with five innings allowing only one run, recording 11 consecutive outs, creating an even flow, but was completely overshadowed by the batting lineup's scoreless silence." It further added, "Even the relief pitchers who entered later collapsed due to a defensive error and consecutive base runners in the seventh inning, and suffered a crucial solo home run from Yoon Dong-hee in the eighth, causing their own downfall."

Regarding the disappointing loss, "Yahoo Sports" stated, "There is no time to recover from the shock," and added, "They must immediately revive their batting form in the match against Thailand scheduled for tomorrow morning to secure their first victory and continue hope of advancing to the Super Round."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.