grapplegraphics.com The South Korean baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Jung-il, will take on Chinese Taipei in the first game of their quest for a fourth consecutive gold medal. The starting lineup from the first game, against Hong Kong, remains the same, with Lin Yu-Min, a highly touted left-handed pitching prospect from Chinese Taipei.
Ryu Joong-il (left), Kim Hye-sung (second base) and Choi Ji-hoon (center field) during the Baseball Group B match against Chinese Taipei at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at Shaoxing Baseball & Softball Sports Centre (Baseball) on February 2, 2022 in Hangzhou, China. Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Noh Shi-hwan (third baseman), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Moon Bo-kyung (first baseman), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Park Sung-sung (shortstop), Kim Hyung-joon (catcher), and Kim Sung-yoon (left fielder).
Taiwan started their starter, Lin Yi-min, but instead of a “left-right” lineup that favors right-handed hitters, they went with a lineup of hitters who are in good shape and have performed at a high level in the league.
South Korea won its first group game against Hong Kong the day before with a 10-0 eighth inning cold game victory. They were limited to three runs in the seventh inning as they struggled to time the slower pitches from Hong Kong pitchers, but they scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the game away with no outs in the top of the ninth.
When asked about the lineup immediately after the end of the Hong Kong game, Ryu Jung-il said, “I don’t think there will be any major changes against Taiwan. We will have one more coaching staff meeting, but I don’t think there will be any major changes,” he said, adding that the lineup for the Taiwan game consisted of the same batting order and fielding positions as the Hong Kong game.
Ryu Jung-ilho will be led by Kim Hye-sung (Kiwoom). Kim has been one of the best leadoff hitters in the KBO this season, batting .335 with seven home runs, 55 RBIs, 25 doubles and an OPS of .843 in 134 games.
Kim went 3-for-6 with a home run, three doubles, three RBIs and one run scored in Game 1 against Hong Kong. Her RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning gave South Korea a 9-0 lead and clinched the cold game victory.
Kim went 8-for-13 at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games and 2-for-1 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March. He has shown flashes of his international batting prowess and will be hoping to spark the offense at the Hangzhou Asian Games.토토사이트
Choi Ji-hoon (SSG) will continue his role from Hong Kong, batting second and setting the table with Kim Hye-sung in the middle order. Choi improved his batting average in Hong Kong, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. He also has plenty of experience in big games, having won the KBO’s first ever ‘wire-to-wire’ title with his team last year and competing in the WBC in March this year.
Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha) will bat third after leading the KBO with 31 home runs this season. He warmed up his bat with two hits, one run, one RBI and three walks the day before.
Kang Baek-ho (KT), Ryu’s favorite, will bat fourth. Despite going 0-for-4 against Hong Kong, Ryu doesn’t think Kang is in bad shape. “If he meets a pitcher who faces fastballs, he will be fine,” he said.
Right fielder Yoon Dong-hee, who went 2-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored in his senior international debut against Hong Kong, is also a fastball specialist. She will be looking to take on Taiwanese starter Lin Yumin.
Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha) has been selected as the starting pitcher against Taiwan. Coach Ryu Joong-il had been weighing Moon Dong-ju and Kwak Bin (Doosan) for the starting spot until the last minute, but it seems that Moon Dong-ju was in slightly better shape.
In his second year as a professional, Moon is 8-8 with a 3.72 ERA in 23 games this year. He will be hoping to spark the Taiwanese bats with his fastball in the low-to-mid 150s.
A total of eight nations will compete for medals in the baseball competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games. The teams will be divided into two groups of four, with the first and second place finishers in each group advancing to the Super Round.
The 1-2 finishers in the Super Round will play for the gold medal, while the 3-4 finishers will play for the bronze. In the Super Rounds, there are no rematches with teams from the group stage. Group wins and losses will count towards the Super Round results, so Korea will need to win against Chinese Taipei on Sunday to advance to the final.
Taiwan’s starting pitcher, left-hander Lin Yi-min, was born in 2003 and is a promising pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ minor league system. He was promoted from Rookie League and Single-A last year to Double-A this season.
In Double-A this season, he has started 11 games, going 5-2 with a 4.28 ERA in 61 innings pitched. His walk rate of 3.56 per nine innings isn’t terrible, but his 64 strikeouts in 61 innings is what stands out. He is known to throw a fastball in the mid-to-high 90s.