No Way—South Korea, a WBC Quarterfinalist, Shut Out by Japan's Corporate-League Team... Ryu Ji-hyun's Squad Forced to Calculate Scenarios Again [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] No one saw this coming.
An elite lineup that dominates the KBO League suffered a shocking loss to players from Japan's corporate baseball league. It was a stunning disaster on the field during Chuseok, one of Korea's biggest holidays.
The South Korea national baseball team, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, suffered a 0-5 defeat to Japan in the first round of the baseball Super Round at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at Toyohashi Municipal Stadium in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, on the 25th. South Korea had advanced to the Super Round as Group B winners after going 3-0 in the group stage. But the defeat was its first of the tournament and put its hopes of reaching the final in serious jeopardy.
It was a painful defeat in which South Korea, made up of professional players, collapsed without scoring a single run against Japan, whose roster consisted entirely of corporate-league players.

The biggest reason for the defeat was the lineup's self-destruction. South Korea completely lost its timing against Japan starter Shin Higuchi's precise control and unconventional pitching.
Even when South Korea got hits and reached base, it squandered its own opportunities. Second baseman Kim Ju-won of the NC Dinos opened the offense by reaching on hits in the first and fourth innings, but fourth batter Roh Si-hwan of the Hanwha Eagles killed the momentum by grounding into double plays in consecutive at-bats. In the fifth, after Park Jun-soon of the Doosan Bears hit a single to left, Yoon Dong-hee of the Lotte Giants grounded into another infield double play, completely surrendering the momentum. Higuchi held South Korea's lineup scoreless over seven innings, allowing four hits and striking out four.

The pitching staff could not hold up either. Starter So Hyeong-jun of KT Wiz collapsed after allowing a barrage of hits in the third inning.
With one out and runners on first and second, he surrendered the opening run on Mutoki Mukoyama's RBI double down the left-field line. With one out and runners on second and third, an infield grounder brought in another run. Then shortstop Kim Ju-won's throw went wide after he fielded Shohei Mizutani's grounder, allowing Japan to score its third run. Kim's throwing error was a problem, but first baseman Roh Si-hwan also failed to handle the one-hop throw cleanly.

Trailing 0-3 in the sixth, South Korea made a bold move by bringing in key relievers Jo Byeong-hyeon of the SSG Landers and Park Young-hyun of KT Wiz early in an attempt to turn the game around. However, both pitchers gave up RBI hits and allowed two more runs, effectively forcing South Korea to raise the white flag.


The defeat left South Korea having to work through a complicated set of scenarios. Carrying one win from its group-stage game against Taiwan, South Korea is now 1-1 in the Super Round. Japan, which has already secured two wins, has the upper hand in the race to reach the final. South Korea must beat China in the second Super Round game on the 26th.
If Japan beats Taiwan on the 26th and South Korea defeats China, South Korea and Japan will meet again in the final. However, if Japan loses to Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan will all finish 2-1, creating a complicated situation in which the Team's Quality Balance (TQB) tiebreaking formula will have to be calculated. 
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter