South Korea's Mound Makes Asian Games History with First-Ever 'Team Perfect'... Ryu Ji-hyun's Side Crushes Hong Kong 13-0 [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] In baseball, it is extraordinary for a pitching staff not to allow even a single batter to reach first base. South Korea's formidable mound reached the uncharted summit of a 'team perfect,' a feat no one had achieved since Asian Games baseball records began being computerized in 2002.
The South Korea national baseball team, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, defeated Hong Kong 13-0 in a seven-inning mercy-rule game in the second Group B game of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 22nd. The victory gave South Korea its second straight win.
The highlight of the game was not the explosive offense but the impenetrable mound, which allowed not even a single blemish. Choi Min-seok of Doosan started, followed by Jinwook Kim of Lotte in the third inning, Choi Jun-yong of Lotte in the fourth, Kim Youngwoo of LG in the fifth, Bae Chan-seung of Samsung in the sixth, and Seong Young-tak of KIA in the seventh. Together, they delivered seven flawless innings without allowing a hit, walk, or hit batter. They recorded 12 strikeouts among their 21 outs, repeatedly leaving Hong Kong's batters swinging at air.

With the mound completely shutting down the opposition, the lineup responded with a barrage of long balls. Roh Si-hwan of Hanwha, who started as the cleanup hitter and third baseman, opened the scoring with a powerful two-run homer to left-center with two outs in the first inning after KIM Do-young reached on an infield single.
South Korea added a run on Kim Ji-chan's RBI single to left in the second inning, then put the game out of reach in the bottom of the third. After consecutive hits and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, Cho Hyung-woo launched a towering grand slam over the left-field wall to give South Korea a 7-0 lead.

Ryu Ji-hyun's side added three runs in the fifth on RBI hits by Kim Ji-chan and Yoon Dong-hee. In the seventh, consecutive RBI hits by Yoon Dong-hee and Park Jae-hyun, followed by Jung Jun-jae's sacrifice fly, completed the 13-0 mercy-rule victory. Yoon Dong-hee, Cho Hyung-woo, and Kim Ji-chan each recorded multiple hits, spearheading South Korea's 14-hit attack.
With a perfect balance of pitching and hitting, Ryu Ji-hyun's side built the historic milestone of a 'team perfect' and continued its dominant run toward a fourth consecutive Asian Games title.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter