Korea upsets Japan in overtime to finish as APBC runners-up

The final game of the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on April 19.

Korea and Japan were tied 2-2 in the ninth inning.

The game went to extra innings.

South Korea had runners on first and second with no outs.

Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers) failed to hit a sacrifice bunt, but Yoon Dong-hee (Lotte Giants) came through with an RBI single.

Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha Eagles) followed with a single to put runners on second and third, but Kim Hwijip (Kiwoom Heroes) struck out to end the threat.

In the bottom of the 10th inning with a 3-2 lead, Japan attacked with runners on first and second.

Closer Jung Hae-young (KIA) gave up a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk to Shogo Sakakura to tie the game, and then gave up the game-winning hit to Makoto Kadawaki to load the bases. 3-4 loss. 토토

In the tournament, held six years after its inaugural edition in 2017, South Korea once again failed to advance past Japan, finishing as runners-up.

However, the team showed promise following the Hangzhou Asian Games, with younger players performing in the midst of a generational transition.

Korea’s starter Kwak Bin (Doosan Bears) pitched five innings, allowing one run on five hits (one home run) with three walks and six strikeouts.

The lone run came in the bottom of the fifth inning when a curveball he threw to Shugo Maki was hit right down the middle for a solo home run.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Tatsuya Imai went four innings and allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Korea took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning when Noh Si-hwan doubled with runners on first and second, but was unable to score any more runs, forcing the game into extra innings.

The Asian Professional Baseball Championship is open to players aged 24 or younger (born on or after January 1, 1999) or in their third year of professional baseball (signed after 2021) and is contested by four nations, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Australia.

Due to the late start of the Korean Series, players from the LG Twins and KT Wiz were unable to participate in the tournament

. It was encouraging to see the team play a tight game against Japan without full strength.