Kim Do-yeong Homer Sends Korea to APBC Final Against Japan
Kim Do-yeong homered as Korea beat Chinese Taipei 6-4 and advanced to the 2026 APBC final against unbeaten Japan on the TQB tiebreaker.
World Baseball News Editorial Team , 2 min read 
South Korea beat Chinese Taipei 6-4 at Tokyo Dome on Saturday, November 14, and advanced to the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship final against Japan through the Team Quality Balance tiebreaker. Kim Do-yeong broke a 3-3 tie with a fifth-inning home run, while starter Lee Ro-woon struck out nine over six innings to keep Korea alive after an 0-2 start.
Korea, Chinese Taipei and Australia all finished the preliminary round at 1-2. Korea claimed second place on TQB, the tournament’s run-differential formula, behind unbeaten Japan.
Korea answers Chinese Taipei’s three-run rally
Park Jae-hyun gave Korea the first breakthrough with a solo home run leading off the bottom of the third. Three hit batters helped load the bases later in the inning before Kim Hwi-jip and An Jae-seok delivered run-scoring singles for a 3-0 lead.
Chinese Taipei erased that advantage in the fifth. Tseng Sung-en homered, and Chang Jen-wei followed with a two-run shot after a walk to bring the game level at 3-3.
Korea responded immediately. Kim Do-yeong opened the bottom half by driving a solo homer to right-center, restoring the lead before Chinese Taipei could build on its comeback.
- Final score: South Korea 6, Chinese Taipei 4
- Winning pitcher: Lee Ro-woon — 6 innings, 3 hits, 3 runs, 9 strikeouts
- Korea’s key hitters: Park Jae-hyun 2-for-3, home run, double, 2 RBIs; Kim Do-yeong 2-for-4, home run
- Next game: South Korea vs. Japan, Sunday, November 15 at 7 p.m. JST
Park Jae-hyun adds insurance before Moon Jeong-bin answers
Jo Hyeong-woo doubled with two outs in the sixth, and Park drove him home with an RBI double to make it 5-3. Chinese Taipei pulled within one in the seventh when Tseng hit his second solo homer of the night.
Moon Jeong-bin answered in the bottom of the inning. His two-out solo home run restored Korea’s two-run cushion, and the bullpen protected it. Choi Jun-yong recorded four scoreless outs before Park Jeong-min retired the side in order in the ninth.
Lee finished with 97 pitches, allowing three hits and two walks alongside his nine strikeouts. Chinese Taipei managed only four hits in the game despite its three home runs.
Japan rematch decides the APBC title
Korea’s route to the final opened earlier Saturday when Japan defeated Australia 16-1 in seven innings. That result meant a Korean victory would create a three-way tie for second place, with TQB deciding which team advanced.
The final will be a rematch of Friday’s preliminary game, which Japan won 9-5 after scoring four times in the eighth inning. Japan went 3-0 in the round robin and has won both previous APBC championships.
Korea also finished runner-up to Japan in the 2017 and 2023 finals. Sunday’s meeting gives this Korean team another chance to claim the country’s first APBC title after turning a winless start into a place in the championship game.
