Jo Byeong-hyeon handled the 7th and 8th innings in South Korea’s baseball team’s first Asian Games game.
Why was it important that the bullpen carried on the scoreless flow created by starter Kwak Bin?
The 5-0 win over Taiwan was the result of additional runs from the lineup and the bullpen’s stability working together.
3-Line Summary
1. Jo Byeong-hyeon held Taiwan scoreless for 2 innings
2. South Korea defeated Taiwan 5-0
3. Three scoreless innings after the starter preserved the win
Jo Byeong-hyeon Continues the Scoreless Pitching in the 7th and 8th
Jo Byeong-hyeon (SSG Landers) took the mound in the first-round game against Taiwan in Group B baseball at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held on 21 at Okazaki Central Comprehensive Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. He took the mound from the 7th inning, with South Korea leading 1-0, and held Taiwan scoreless through the 8th for two innings.
Newsis reported that Jo Byeong-hyeon completed two perfect innings. No Cut News recorded 1 strikeout and no runs in the 7th, and 2 strikeouts and no runs in the 8th. Taken together, the two reports show that Jo Byeong-hyeon struck out 3 batters over two innings and did not allow Taiwan’s lineup to reach base.
South Korea’s starter Kwak Bin pitched 6 scoreless innings without allowing a hit that day. Jo Byeong-hyeon then shut down the 7th and 8th, allowing South Korea to maintain a hitless, scoreless game through the 8th. Park Young-hyun did allow a hit in the 9th, but finished the game without giving up a run.
The 7th Inning That Turned a 1-0 Tension into 3-0
South Korea’s lineup struggled early against Taiwan starter Lin Yi-wei’s pitching. South Korea scored the opening run on Park Jae-hyun’s sacrifice fly in the 2nd, but could not add to its total through the 6th, leaving the one-run lead intact.
The game shifted in the bottom of the 7th, after Jo Byeong-hyeon had taken the mound. After Moon Bo-kyung’s walk and Kim Joo-won’s hit put runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs, Park Jun-soon hit an RBI double, followed by Cho Hyung-woo’s sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. In the 8th, additional runs came after Kim Do-yeong’s double, followed by Yoon Dong-hee’s solo home run, widening the score to 5-0.
For Jo Byeong-hyeon, this was not simply an appearance after the lead had grown. In a game where the lineup had struggled to produce, his two innings protected the one-run flow and then blocked Taiwan’s path to a comeback even after South Korea added runs. For the starter’s strong outing to remain a victory, the bullpen had to avoid breaking that flow, and its role was clear that day.
The Starting Point for Group B After the Win Over Taiwan
Taiwan is a team South Korea has considered a contender for the gold medal. With this win, South Korea finished its first Group B game 5-0 and has Hong Kong and Thailand remaining on its group-stage schedule. However, first place in Group B and the subsequent results have not yet been determined.
The most notable number from the game was the 9 scoreless innings recorded by South Korea’s pitching staff. Kwak Bin’s 6 innings, Jo Byeong-hyeon’s 2 innings, and Park Young-hyun’s 1 inning followed one another. Jo Byeong-hyeon’s appearance will remain as a moment showing how the bullpen turned the advantage created by the starter into a victory.
References
Tags #JoByeong-hyeon #SSGLanders #SouthKoreaBaseballTeam #AsianGamesBaseball #AichiNagoyaAsianGames #SouthKoreaTaiwanBaseball #TaiwanGame #Okazaki #KwakBin #ParkYoung-hyun #KimJoo-won #NationalBaseballTeam