Choi Min-seok Strikes Out Nine as South Korea Reaches Asian Games Final

Choi Min-seok struck out nine over seven innings and South Korea pulled away from China for a 9–2 victory on Saturday, September 26, securing a place in the Asian Games baseball gold-medal game. Korea will face host nation Japan in Toyohashi on Sunday with a fifth consecutive Asian Games title at stake.

South Korea answers China’s early run

China scored first at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium, stringing together three consecutive two-out hits against Choi in the opening inning. The right-hander escaped a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout, limiting the damage to one run.

South Korea immediately turned the game around. Moon Hyun-bin walked and Kim Do-yeong reached as China committed an error, helping Korea score twice in the bottom of the first. Two more runs followed in the second, with Park Joon-soon and Kim Ji-chan starting the rally with consecutive hits.

Choi settled in after the difficult first inning. The Doosan Bears pitcher completed seven innings with seven hits and one walk allowed, surrendering one run while recording nine strikeouts. His outing kept Korea in control until the offense broke the game open late.

Park Joon-soon leads a 14-hit attack

Korea added two runs in the sixth. Kim Ju-won drove in one with a single before Kim Do-yeong was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Park then tripled home a run in the seventh and scored on Cho Hyung-woo’s single, extending the lead to 8–1.

Park finished 3-for-4 with a triple, one RBI and one run scored. Kim Ju-won collected two hits and drove in two as four Korean batters recorded multiple hits. South Korea finished with 14 hits after managing only four in its 5–0 loss to Japan one day earlier.

Japan rematch will decide the gold medal

The victory gave South Korea a 2–1 record in the Super Round and confirmed its place in the final behind unbeaten Japan. Sunday’s meeting provides an immediate chance to reverse Friday’s defeat and continue a run of Asian Games championships that began in 2010.

Japan reached the gold-medal game by beating Chinese Taipei 7–3. The final is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. local time on September 27 at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium.