Yoon Dong-hee came in as a pinch hitter against Taiwan on 21 and hit a home run that put the game out of reach.
The South Korean national baseball team defeated Taiwan 5-0 in its first Group B game at the Asian Games, held at Okazaki Central Comprehensive Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
The run produced by the home run in a single at-bat was just 1, but it ended a tightly contested game.
3-Line Summary
1. Yoon Dong-hee hit a pinch-hit home run in the 8th inning against Taiwan
2. South Korea defeated Taiwan 5-0
3. The result of the group-stage matchup will be reflected in the Super Round
Yoon Dong-hee’s Solo Homer in the 8th Inning With the Score 4-0
Yoon Dong-hee came to the plate as a pinch hitter with two outs and no runners on in the bottom of the 8th inning, with South Korea leading 4-0. He hit a solo home run over the left-field wall to extend the lead to 5-0. According to reports by The Fact and MK Sports, the home run was Yoon Dong-hee’s only hit of the day and produced 1 RBI.
South Korea was unable to build a large lead in the early stages of the game. South Korea scored first on Park Jae-hyun’s sacrifice fly in the 2nd inning but held a 1-0 lead through the 6th inning. After adding two runs on Park Jun-soon’s RBI double and Cho Hyung-woo’s sacrifice fly in the 7th inning, South Korea put the game away with Noh Si-hwan’s sacrifice fly and Yoon Dong-hee’s home run in the 8th.
Viewed by itself, Yoon Dong-hee’s home run was a one-run play. However, it became a decisive moment in closing out the game because it extended the margin to five runs at a point when Taiwan had to manage the remaining innings in an attempt to mount a comeback.
Kwak Bin’s 6-Inning No-Hitter Provided the Foundation
The reason South Korea was able to withstand its sluggish offense early on was the pitching of starter Kwak Bin. Over 6 innings, Kwak Bin allowed no hits, struck out 10, and held Taiwan scoreless. After throwing 90 pitches, he handed the mound to Jo Byung-hyun in the 7th inning, and South Korea finished the game without allowing a run through the 9th.
This victory is especially important because the result against Taiwan does not amount to merely 1 group-stage win. The Fact and Yeongnam Ilbo reported that the results of group-stage head-to-head matchups will also be reflected in the Super Round. By defeating Taiwan first in Group B, South Korea secured a win it can use in the subsequent standings race.
Yoon Dong-hee also recorded 10 hits, 1 home run, and 6 RBIs at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. In the first game of this tournament, he hit a home run in a pinch-hit opportunity rather than in a starting appearance. South Korea’s victory over Taiwan was the result of starter Kwak Bin’s dominant pitching, concentrated late-inning scoring, and Yoon Dong-hee’s one big hit coming together.
References
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