[Asian Games] Ryu Jung-il Team Achieves 4 Consecutive Wins... Moon Dong-joo '6 Innings No Runs Allowed' (Summary)

The South Korean baseball national team avenged their group stage loss to Taiwan in the final of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, achieving their fourth consecutive Asian Games baseball championship.

On the 7th, at Baseball and Softball Sports Center Field 1 in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, China, the baseball national team defeated Taiwan 2-0 in the final of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, led by the strong pitching of starter Moon Dong-joo. Moon Dong-joo pitched 6 innings, allowing 3 hits, no walks, striking out 7, and giving up no runs.

Moon Dong-joo had shown a somewhat disappointing performance in his debut game for the senior national team during the second group stage match against Taiwan on the 2nd. He pitched 4 innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, and 2 runs (2 earned runs), and was credited with the loss. However, he successfully avenged himself against the Taiwanese hitters he faced again after 5 days. Using a fastball approaching 160 km/h, he neutralized the Taiwan lineup.

Korean national baseball team players are cheering after winning 2-0 against Taiwan in the final of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held on the 7th at the No. 1 field of the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Center near Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Both South Korea and Taiwan missed good opportunities in the first inning at bat. South Korea had a chance with one out and runners on first and second in the top of the first, but No. 4 Noh Si-hwan hit into a double play. Taiwan also created a chance when leadoff hitter Zheng Zhongzhe hit a double over the center fielder’s head, but the middle of the order failed to produce an RBI hit. Against Moon Dong-joo’s dominant pitching, No. 3 Lin Li grounded out to shortstop, and No. 4 Lin Anker struck out swinging.

South Korea scored the winning runs in the top of the second inning. Leadoff hitter No. 5 Moon Bo-kyung hit a deep ball toward right field, dropping safely and advancing to second base to create a scoring opportunity. During the next at-bat by Kang Baek-ho, Taiwan starter Lin Yumin threw a wild pitch, allowing Moon Bo-kyung to advance to third. Moon Bo-kyung then scored the first run by breaking for home on a fly ball to left fielder Kim Joo-won.

With two outs and no runners on base, the Korean lineup continued to pressure Lin Yumin. No. 8 Kim Hyung-jun singled to left field and reached first base. No. 9 Kim Sung-yoon also hit a ball that went down the left side of left field, creating a two-out, runners on second and third opportunity. During No. 1 Kim Hye-sung’s at-bat, Lin Yumin threw another wild pitch, allowing runner Kim Hyung-jun on third to score, making it 2-0.

With the offense producing 2 runs, Moon Dong-joo’s pitching gained momentum. He retired the side in order in the bottom of the second, including one strikeout. In the third inning, after two outs, he allowed a single but finished the inning without giving up a run. He then retired the side in order again in the fourth and fifth innings.

Moon Dong-joo faced his second challenge in the sixth inning. After one out, he allowed a double to Zheng Zhongzhe that hit the right field wall. However, Moon did not falter. He struck out No. 2 Lin Ziwei and No. 3 Lin Li consecutively, roaring back.

Moon Dong-ju of the Korean national baseball team is roaring after escaping a 1 out, 2 runners on base crisis with consecutive strikeouts in the bottom of the 6th inning during the final against Taiwan at the No. 1 field of the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Center near Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, on the 7th of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

While Moon Dong-joo was pitching strongly, the offense showed some frustration. They missed scoring opportunities with no outs and a runner on first in the fourth and sixth innings, and were retired in order for three consecutive innings from the seventh to the ninth.

However, the pitching staff following Moon Dong-joo?Choi Ji-min, Park Young-hyun, and Go Woo-seok?held the Taiwan lineup scoreless to preserve the victory.

Choi Ji-min and Park Young-hyun each recorded two strikeouts, shutting down the seventh and eighth innings. In the ninth inning, Go Woo-seok took the mound. After one out, amid somewhat questionable ball calls by the umpire, he allowed consecutive hits and faced a one-out, runners on first and second situation. However, he induced a ground ball to second base from No. 5 Wu Nian-ting to secure the win. Team captain Kim Hye-sung caught Wu Nian-ting’s hit, tagged out runner Lin Anker at first base, and threw to first base to end the game.

Similar to the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, the baseball national team was cornered after losing to Taiwan in the group stage but revived their chances with two wins in the super round, ultimately winning the gold medal in dramatic fashion once again.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.