*This content was translated by AI.View Original
Manager Choi Won-ho, who led the Korean national baseball team to the final, expressed his resolve ahead of the decisive match against Japan.
The Korean national baseball team, led by Manager Choi Won-ho, defeated the Taiwanese national team 6-4 in the third preliminary game of the 2026 APBC tournament held at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on the 14th.
Korea suffered a shocking 7-8 loss to Australia in its first match on the 12th. It then lost 5-9 to Japan in the second game on the 13th, falling into a corner with two losses.
Although Korea suffered back-to-back losses, hope for advancing to the final had not completely vanished. The fact that Japan had secured a 16-1 seven-inning rainout victory over Australia earlier that same day could be considered favorable news.
With Japan securing first place in its group with three consecutive wins, Korea's victory over Taiwan resulted in Korea, Taiwan, and Australia all recording identical records of one win and two losses.
In the event of a tie in wins and losses, the TQB (Team Quality Balance), which calculates (runs scored/offensive innings) minus (runs allowed/defensive innings), was applied. Ultimately, Korea led in this metric and advanced to the final as the second-place team.
Korea will now face Japan in the final at Tokyo Dome today (the 15th) at 7 p.m. Korea had faced Japan in the finals of the previous two tournaments but lost both times, finishing as runner-up.
According to Japanese media outlets such as Sankei Sports and Sports Hochi, Manager Choi Won-ho said after the victory over Taiwan, "(The final is) the last game, so it will be an all-out effort. There will also be pitchers who pitch on consecutive days."
According to reports, Japan will start Takahashi Hiroto (24, Chunichi Dragons) in the final. This season, Takahashi started all 19 games on the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) stage, recording a 5-7 record with an ERA of 2.62. Over 123⅔ innings, he allowed 97 hits (4 home runs), issued 37 walks, struck out 135 batters, and posted a WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched) of 1.08 and a batting average against of 0.218.
He is also a familiar pitcher to Korean fans. In the second game of the 2025 K-Baseball Series held at Tokyo Dome in Japan in November 2025, he entered as the fifth pitcher in relief in the seventh inning, recording two innings pitched, allowing two hits (one home run), issuing two walks and one hit-by-pitch, striking out four batters, and allowing two runs (two earned). At the time, An Hyeon-min hit a solo home run to left-center field off Takahashi in the eighth inning. Attention is also focused on whether An Hyeon-min, whose form has been sluggish—including going 0-for-4 against Taiwan on the 14th—will perform well.
Manager Choi stated, "Takahashi was a pitcher we anticipated would start in the final when the team was assembled in Korea. The scouting analysis team prepared a lot of data. I believe the players will adapt well." He added, "I think blocking leadoff hitter Masaki of the Japanese national team is an important part of taking control of the game's flow."
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*This content was translated by AI.View Original
