It has finally arrived! The fated Korea-Japan showdown in the finals: "Two changes made" — Starting lineup revealed as Korean national baseball team seeks revenge; can they claim the championship? [APBC]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The starting lineup for the fated Korea-Japan match in the finals of the 2026 Asia Pro Baseball Championship (APBC) has been revealed.

The Korean national baseball team, led by Manager Choi Won-ho, will face the Japanese national baseball team in the 2026 APBC final at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, at 7 p.m. on the 15th.

Korea is aiming for its first championship title in this tournament. Korea met Japan in the finals of both the first and second editions of the tournament and lost both times, resulting in two consecutive runner-up finishes. Additionally, the team is currently on a 12-game losing streak (with one draw) against national teams featuring professional players.

According to the official tournament website, Korea's starting batting order for the day consists of Kim Ji-chan (center fielder), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Kim Ju-won (shortstop), Ahn Hyun-min (designated hitter), Kim Hwi-jip (second baseman), Moon Jung-bin (first baseman), Moon Hyun-bin (right fielder), Jo Hyung-woo (catcher), and Park Jae-hyun (left fielder).

Korea's starting pitcher is Kim Geon-woo, who has been performing exceptionally well for the SSG Landers.

Notably, Han Dong-hee is absent compared to the preliminary round third match against Taiwan on the previous day (the 14th). Han was hit in the hand by a pitch from the opposing pitcher during that game and was ultimately substituted out before completing the match.

Furthermore, Ahn Hyun-min will play as the designated hitter instead of Ahn Jae-seok, who served in that role on the previous day. Moon Hyun-bin, who had been playing as Ahn Hyun-min's position, has been newly placed in right field.

Meanwhile, Korea suffered a shocking 7-8 loss to Australia in its first preliminary match on the 12th. It then lost 5-9 to Japan in the second preliminary match held on the 13th, recording two losses.

Nevertheless, Korea defeated Taiwan 6-4 on the previous day to advance to the final. Although Korea, Taiwan, and Australia all finished with a record of one win and two losses, Korea secured second place overall by leading in Team Quality Balance (TQB), which is calculated using (runs scored/offensive innings) minus (runs allowed/defensive innings).

Meanwhile, Japan has named Takahashi Hiroto (24, Chunichi Dragons) as its starting pitcher. This season on the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) stage, Takahashi started all 19 games he appeared in, posting a record of five wins and seven losses with an ERA of 2.62. Over a total of 123⅔ innings, he allowed 97 hits (including four home runs), issued 37 walks, recorded 135 strikeouts, posted a Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched (WHIP) of 1.08, and held opponents to a batting average against of 0.218.

Japan's starting lineup consists of Masaki Tomoya (first baseman), Muneyama Rui (shortstop), Nishikawa Miso (right fielder), Yamaguchi Goki (designated hitter), Watanabe Seiya (third baseman), Watarai Ryuki (left fielder), Hasegawa Shinya (center fielder), Kojima Daiga (catcher), and Shoji Yudai (second baseman). This is the same lineup used in the second preliminary match against Korea.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original