South Korea Rallies Past Sangmu 7-6 in Final Asian Games Baseball Tune-Up

South Korea finished its final baseball tune-up before the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a 7-6 comeback win over Sangmu on Thursday, September 17, overcoming a three-run deficit in a simulated extra inning at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

The result itself was secondary to the final roster test, but the way the game unfolded gave manager Ryu Ji-hyun both encouragement and questions before Korea leaves for Japan. The four-time defending Asian Games champion opens its tournament Monday against Chinese Taipei, the opponent expected to present its biggest challenge in the race for a fifth consecutive gold medal.

Park Jun-soon helps turn the final inning

Korea trailed 6-3 after eight innings before the teams played an additional situational inning under the Asian Games extra-inning format, beginning with runners on first and second.

After Sangmu failed to score in the top half, Korea produced four runs in the bottom of the inning. Park Jun-soon and Kim Gun-hee delivered the key hits as the national team turned what had been a difficult afternoon into a 7-6 victory.

Park had already provided one of Korea’s brighter offensive moments earlier in the game, reaching third on a drive in the second inning before scoring on a ground ball. His late contribution came at an important point in Korea’s final competitive preparation before the tournament.

Korea tests eight pitchers before Nagoya

Ryu used eight of the 11 pitchers on his roster, with each working roughly 30 pitches as Korea spread the workload across its staff. Gwak Been, Choi Min-seok and So Hyeong-jun were the three pitchers who did not appear.

The uneven performances from the left side were the clearest concern. Oh Won-seok allowed two runs on four hits in one inning, while Bae Chan-seung surrendered four runs on five hits and recorded only one out. The other six pitchers used by Korea kept Sangmu scoreless.

The pitching plan was less about building traditional game lines and more about giving the staff one final live test before the Asian Games. Korea’s ability to escape the simulated extra inning without allowing a run also gave the bullpen a useful rehearsal for the tournament format.

Chinese Taipei awaits in Asian Games opener

South Korea is scheduled to travel to Nagoya on Friday before opening the Asian Games baseball tournament against Chinese Taipei on Monday at 6:30 p.m. local time.

Korea enters the event chasing a fifth straight Asian Games baseball gold medal. The country won the previous four tournaments beginning with Guangzhou 2010, making this year’s young KBO-based roster the latest group asked to extend one of the competition’s longest active runs of dominance.

Thursday’s narrow win showed why the final days of preparation still matter. Korea found enough offense to rescue the game late, but the six runs allowed also left Ryu and his staff with pitching decisions to make before the games begin to count in Nagoya.