Teammates Until Yesterday... "Ryu Ji-hyun's Taiwan Starter Likely to Be 11-Win Hanwha Man Wang Yan-cheng" [2026 Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya]

[Financial News] The Korean national baseball team is pursuing an unprecedented fifth consecutive Asian Games title. At the site of the decisive competition, however, it faces an intriguing twist of fate: Wang Yan-cheng, the "Hanwha man" currently playing in the KBO League, is increasingly likely to start for Taiwan against Korea in the teams' opening game and the biggest matchup of the group stage.
The baseball team led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun will face Taiwan at 6:30 p.m. on the 21st in the opening Group B game of the 2026 Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya at Okazaki Central Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Taiwan, which has persistently troubled Korea at major international tournaments in recent years, is preparing for an all-out effort against Korea at this event as well.
Taiwanese media identified a KBO League player with the most extensive knowledge of Korea's lineup as their winning card. Taiwanese sports outlet Sports Vision and broadcaster TVBS both reported on the 19th, "Gwak Been of the Doosan Bears and Wang Yan-cheng are likely to face each other as the starting pitchers in the tournament's opening game against Korea."
Left-hander Wang Yan-cheng, who joined the Hanwha Eagles this season through the Asian quota system, made 26 appearances and posted 11 wins, six losses, and a 3.97 ERA. He successfully adapted to the KBO League. After making his final start for Hanwha on the 15th, he joined the national team and is on an ideal schedule to take the mound against Korea following five days of rest.

Taiwanese outlets closely analyzed Korea's strength and expressed caution. In particular, they singled out KIM Do-young of the Kia Tigers, who has been hitting impressively throughout the season, as the batter Taiwan should be most wary of if Wang Yan-cheng takes the mound. The outlets identified him as a player to watch, saying, "KIM Do-young is batting .303 against left-handed pitchers this season, and his batting form is hot, with a .406 average over his final 10 games before joining the national team."
They added, "Korea's infield is led by KIM Do-young, Kim Ju-won of the NC Dinos, Roh Si-hwan of the Hanwha Eagles, and Moon Bo-kyung of the LG Twins, while 19-year-old rookie Park Jun-soon of the Doosan Bears is likely to fill the second-base position."
If Wang Yan-cheng starts as expected, Roh Si-hwan, one of the national team's central batters, and Moon Hyun-bin will face him in a no-holds-barred intra-Hanwha matchup. In this do-or-die showdown, where yesterday's teammate has become today's opponent, how Korea's lineup handles the familiar pitches will emerge as a key factor in determining whether the team wins its fifth consecutive Asian Games title.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter