19-year-old LG rookie left-hander dominates Japanese lineup! 4 innings scoreless KKKKK dazzling... Korea U-23 national team loses 5-6 in shocking comeback defeat after leading 5-2 against Japan

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

LG Twins rookie left-hander Park Jun-seong (19) proved his potential by shutting down the opposing lineup with a scoreless performance over 4 innings and 5 strikeouts against Japanese opponents.

The Korea U-23 national baseball team, led by manager Lee Yeon-su, lost 5-6 to Japan in an extra-inning tiebreaker in the 8th inning of the second match in Group B of the Opening Round at the 6th World Baseball Classic on the 8th (Korean time) at the Estadio Nacional de Soberanía in Managua, Nicaragua.

Korea, which had secured a walk-off victory over Cuba 3-2 in its first game the previous day (the 7th), recorded a record of one win and one loss. It failed to wash away the regret of finishing as runner-up after losing to Japan 0-3 in the final of the 2022 tournament.

However, Park Jun-seong's pitching as the starter that day exceeded expectations. Park threw 68 pitches over 4 innings, allowing 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5 for a scoreless outing. He held the Japanese lineup scoreless for four consecutive innings on the pitcher's mound. In the first inning, he recorded consecutive swinging strikeouts against No. 1 hitter Matsushita Koki and No. 2 hitter Ikemoto Masato. In the second inning, he struck out Kawase Joji with a swinging strikeout to record an inning of three strikeouts.

Japan's middle of the order struggled to find a rhythm against Park Jun-seong. In the fourth inning, Park struck out No. 3 hitter Yamashita Kiku and No. 4 hitter Maruki Yuta with swinging strikeouts to finish his appearance without allowing any runs. This was complemented by center fielder Kim Seung-ju's excellent defensive play in the third inning and catcher Kim Seong-u's stolen base prevention in the fourth inning, completing a scoreless performance.

In particular, he did not fall behind in a pitching duel against Japanese starter Iida Minato. Iida dominated the Korean lineup with 8 strikeouts, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk over 5 innings for a scoreless outing. With both starting pitchers delivering scoreless performances, a tense 0-0 balance continued through the fifth inning.

Park Jun-seong is a rookie who graduated from Incheon High School and was drafted by LG in the second round, 18th overall pick, of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft. A left-handed pitcher standing 184 cm tall and weighing 98 kg, he began his professional career with a signing bonus of 150 million won.

He did not make his first division debut this year. In the Futures League (KBO minor league), he appeared in 12 games, pitching 33⅓ innings to record a record of one win and four losses with one save and an ERA of 7.29. He experienced considerable trial and error during his adjustment process in his first professional year.

However, he showed a changed appearance toward the end of the season. In three games in September last month, he pitched 15 innings to record an ERA of 3.60 and was selected as the recipient of the KBO Futures League Monthly Rookie Award for pitchers in September.

His selection process for the national team was also special. Park Jun-seong, who was initially included on the preliminary roster, made the final roster after Samsung Lions' Han Su-ho withdrew due to injury. Although it was an opportunity gained through a replacement call-up, he proved his value against Japan in his first starting appearance at an international tournament.

On the offensive side, Eo Jun-seo (20·Kiwoom) fought hard. Eo recorded two hits and three RBIs in four at-bats that day, accounting for three of Korea's five runs. In the Japanese lineup, Yamashita and Fujiwara Natuki each recorded two hits, while on the Korean side, Eo Jun-seo and catcher Kim Seong-u both recorded multi-hits.

With two outs and runners on second and third in the top of the sixth inning of a 0-0 tie, Korea broke the deadlock first with a two-RBI hit by Eo Jun-seo. However, Korea immediately allowed an equalizer in the bottom of the sixth. Relief pitcher Park Ji-ho (23·Military Service) gave up a solo home run to Japan's Matsushima Goki and then allowed consecutive hits, creating a crisis. Subsequently, Choi Woo-seok (21·NC), who took over on the mound, allowed a sacrifice fly, tying the game at 2-2.

In the top of the seventh inning, Kim Seong-u's hit and Yang Hyeon-jong's walk created scoring opportunities, but no runs were scored. In the bottom of the seventh, Korea was in a one-out runners-on-first-and-second crisis after two walks, but Won Jong-hyuk (21·Hanwha) struck out Matsushima, sending the game to an extra-inning tiebreaker.

In the top of the eighth inning, Korea regained the lead. Eom Jun-hyeon (20·KIA) hit a two-RBI hit, and Eo Jun-seo added another RBI hit, extending the lead to 5-2. Eom Jun-hyeon recorded one hit in three at-bats with two RBIs and two runs scored that day, while Eo Jun-seo had two hits and three RBIs in four at-bats, combining for all five of Korea's RBIs.

However, they could not overcome the final hurdle. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Won Jong-hyuk struck out the first batter but then allowed an RBI hit, a balk, and another RBI hit, tying the game at 5-5. Won Jong-hyuk recorded one inning pitched with two hits allowed, one walk, two strikeouts, and four runs allowed (two earned) that day, taking the loss. Shin Sang-yeon (SSG), who appeared next, allowed a walk, continuing the crisis, and Seo Jun-o (Doosan) gave up a walk-off hit, resulting in a 5-6 defeat for Korea.

The Korean pitching staff allowed eight hits and eight walks to the Japanese lineup. The roles of Park Jun-seong, who recorded four innings with two hits allowed, one walk, and no runs, and Lee Tae-yeon, who pitched excellently with one inning of no hits allowed, one walk, and no runs, were crucial. On the other hand, it was painful that the bullpen wavered, allowing four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning alone. Kim Seong-u contributed evenly on both offense and defense, hitting a hit in the seventh-inning attack and preventing a stolen base in the fourth-inning defense, while Kim Seung-ju took on dirty work, including making excellent defensive plays in the third inning to prevent additional runs.

Korea will play its third match in Group B of the Opening Round against Venezuela at 9:30 a.m. on the 9th. The tournament is conducted with the top three teams from each group advancing to the Super Round, and games will be broadcast live on SPOTV Prime and SPOTV NOW.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original