"Gwak Been Opens, Choi Min-seok Shuts It Down, and Park Jun-soon Delivers": The Doosan Bears Trio Hauling Ryu Ji-hyun's Team to the Final [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News]  Ryu Ji-hyun's team is on a golden run toward a fifth consecutive Asian Games title, and the influence of the Doosan Bears—the club known for its seemingly endless supply of talent—is unmistakable. As the South Korea national baseball team defeated tricky underdog China to reach the much-anticipated final, the outstanding performances of Doosan's young players shone above all.
The South Korea national baseball team, led by Ryu Ji-hyun, defeated China 9-2 in the second Super Round game of baseball at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held on the 26th at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. After recovering from the shock of the previous day's 0-5 loss to Japan, South Korea improved to 2-1 and secured a place in the final in second place behind Japan, which has three wins.
The biggest contributor to South Korea's run to the final was right-hander Choi Min-seok, the country's next-generation ace and a Doosan Bears prize. With the pitching staff's bullpen heavily taxed after the previous day's collapse, Choi started and delivered a near-perfect performance, throwing 96 pitches over seven innings while allowing seven hits, one walk or hit batter, nine strikeouts and one run.

The start was far from smooth. Under difficult conditions caused by a rain delay, Choi gave up the opening run on an RBI hit in the top of the first and then faced a dire, bases-loaded threat with two outs after a miscommunication among the fielders. But he did not waver. After putting out the fire himself by striking out Li Xiaoyang swinging, Choi used his trademark heavy stuff to dominate China's lineup from the second inning onward. It was another flawless showcase following his two perfect innings against Hong Kong on the 22nd. His ability was fully validated on the international stage as well: he has 14 wins this season in the KBO League, leading the league in wins and ranking second in ERA at 2.73.

If Choi Min-seok was on the mound, Doosan's highly touted infield prospect Park Jun-soon was lighting up the lineup. Even as the team's offense fluctuated throughout the tournament, Park's bat never took a break. After tuning up his swing with a thrilling grand slam against Thailand, Park collected three hits against China to open a path through the national team's previously stagnant offense. With a hit in every game he has played, Park has established himself as the lineup's most reliable and dangerous link.

Add Gwak Been, the homegrown ace who perfectly set the tone for the national team with a hitless, 10-strikeout, shutout performance over six innings against Taiwan, the toughest opponent in the group stage. It would be no exaggeration to say that this tournament has effectively been led by Doosan players carrying the national team on their backs.
Tomorrow, the rotation comes full circle back to Gwak Been once again. It would be no exaggeration to say that the starting pitcher accounts for more than 80% of a final.
Gwak Been and Choi Min-seok overpower the opposition from the mound, while Park Jun-soon steps up as the clutch hitter at the plate. As the present and future of the Doosan Bears wield their strength as Ryu Ji-hyun's team's most powerful weapons, South Korea will challenge for the landmark achievement of a fifth consecutive Asian Games title in the much-anticipated Korea-Japan final on the 27th.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter