AG Baseball Finals: Korea's Starting Pitcher Kwak Bin, Japan's Higuchi 'Appears Again After Two Days'

*This content was translated by AI.

Korea baseball team ace Kwak Bin (27, Doosan Bears) is set to start in the finals against Japan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games baseball tournament.

Manager Ryu Ji-hyun selected Kwak Bin as the starting pitcher for the finals match against Japan on the 27th at 6:30 p.m. at Toyohashi Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, without any surprises by deploying his ace card.

Kwak Bin has appeared in 26 games this season in the KBO League, recording 11 wins and 7 losses with an ERA of 2.26. Over 155 innings, he allowed 125 hits and 39 walks while striking out a remarkable 186 batters. His WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) stands at just 1.06.

His performance in this tournament also started strong. On the 21st, he started against Taiwan in the first group stage match, pitching six innings without allowing a single hit and striking out 10 batters, completely dominating the opposing lineup. He allowed baserunners only twice via walks, delivering a flawless outing.

Kwak Bin will return to the mound after just six days, shouldering the ace's responsibility in this decisive match where the Asian Games gold medal and a fifth consecutive tournament victory are at stake.

In response, Japan will again start left-handed ace Higuchi Shin (24, Oji), who pitched against Korea on the 25th. At that time, the Korean lineup was held to just four hits and no runs over seven innings due to Higuchi's precise pitching. Higuchi is not a professional but the ace of Oji, an amateur baseball team from Aichi Prefecture. After completing seven innings in the match against Korea, he will start again as the starter after only two days.

Not only against Korea, but also in the first group stage match against China on the 21st, Higuchi started and recorded six innings with six hits allowed, one run, and ten strikeouts, showing excellent overall form throughout this tournament. The key question for the baseball finals will be whether the Korean lineup, which previously struggled helplessly against Higuchi, can demonstrate a significantly improved performance.

Earlier, on the 26th, South Korea defeated China 9-2 in the second Super Round match held at Toyohashi Stadium. Having suffered a complete loss to Japan 0-5 the previous day, South Korea finished the Super Round with two wins and one loss, including their group stage victory over Taiwan, securing second place behind Japan (three wins) and advancing to the finals. For South Korea, this provides an opportunity for revenge against Japan just two days after their earlier defeat.

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*This content was translated by AI.