South Korea's 0-5 Loss Is a Disaster for Taiwan... It Even Changed Its Starter for a 'Six-Run Win' over Japan [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] South Korea's top professional players suffered a shocking shutout loss to Japan's corporate-league national team, completely upending the baseball landscape at the 2026 Asian Games. Taiwan, which had been closely pursuing a spot in the gold-medal game, suddenly found its calculations pushed to the brink.
Taiwanese media were also stunned immediately after South Korea's defeat. TSNA reported right after the Korea-Japan game, "Taiwan's path to the final has become even more difficult because of South Korea's shocking five-run shutout loss," expressing deep disappointment. South Korea's defeat turned into the worst possible boomerang for Taiwan rather than a favorable development.
The reason is the brutally unforgiving TQB (Team Quality Balance, the run differential per offensive and defensive inning) calculation. Taiwan, which previously lost 0-5 to South Korea, defeated China 9-1 on the 25th to finish the Super Round with a 1-1 record. However, Japan defeated South Korea 5-0 on the same day to move to 2-0, while South Korea and Taiwan both stood at 1-1.
If South Korea defeats China and Taiwan beats Japan on the 26th, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan will all finish 2-1 after defeating one another. TQB will then determine the rankings. South Korea has already secured a TQB of 0, having scored five runs against Taiwan in a 5-0 win and conceded five runs to Japan in a 0-5 loss. Taiwan, meanwhile, allowed five runs to South Korea and scored none. Even if it defeats Japan, Taiwan must win by at least six runs to overtake South Korea and claim a ticket to the final. That is why TSNA and Taiwan's United Daily News both cried out, "A simple victory is not enough; a win by six or more runs is required."

With the pressure mounting, Taiwan's bench began an urgent tactical rethink. As soon as the Korea-Japan result came in, the team completely reconsidered its starting pitcher for the game against Japan. After lengthy deliberations by the coaching staff, the choice fell on right-hander Hsu Hsiang-sheng, who plays for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Taiwan manager Tang Deng-kai explained the change, saying, "Since he is a pitcher with experience in Japan, he is likely to understand the habits and tendencies of Japanese hitters better than anyone. We hope that his familiarity will work as a positive factor in this short series." Scoring six or more runs is important, but this was a desperate measure in a do-or-die situation in which conceding even a single run could completely derail Taiwan's hopes of reaching the final.

But Japan's wall is not merely solid; it is almost despairingly formidable. Japan announced right-hander Kondo Kazuki as its starter against Taiwan. His name is synonymous with a nightmare for Taiwan. In last year's Asian Baseball Championship final, Kondo held Taiwan scoreless over six innings without issuing a single free pass and struck out nine. He was a formidable opponent who even won the tournament MVP award.
Taiwan's Liberty Times also expressed its frustration, writing, "A simple victory would already be difficult, but Taiwan must score heavily against its nemesis Kondo and win by six or more runs in an extremely harsh mission."
Taiwan's task is now clear but nearly impossible: "Bring down its nemesis and win by six runs." 
Hsu Hsiang-sheng was entrusted with this crucial task. 
"No matter which team we face, a pitcher's job is the same. I have not faced many Japanese corporate-league players, so I do not know them in depth, but I will focus solely on throwing my pitches on the mound," he said, calmly expressing his resolve.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter