Ryu Joong Ilho, who couldn't overcome the crisis, lost 3:6 on a day...'Going back to Tokyo in the fog'

Nov 15, 2024

The Premier 12 baseball team played against Japan at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th. Jung Hae-young allowed a two-run shot to Morishita of Japan in the seventh inning. Taipei (Taiwan) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.11.15/

The Premier 12 baseball team played against Japan at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th. Ryu Joong-il and coaches watching the game. Taipei (Taiwan) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.11.15/

[Taipei (Taiwan) = Sports Chosun Reporter Park Sang-kyung] Ryu Joong-il did well against Japan, the strongest team in Group B, but lost.

The baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Joong-il, lost 3-6 against Japan in the third Group B match of the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th (Korea time). South Korea, which got the first run in the top of the second inning but allowed the turnaround immediately, regained the lead with Park Dong-won's tiebreaking solo shot in the top of the fourth inning and pinch hitter Yoon Dong-hee's timely hit in the top of the fifth inning, but after allowing a comeback in the bottom of the fifth inning, the gap widened when Jung Hae-young gave up a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh inning, and dropped his head as he failed to make up for it. South Korea, which succeeded in rebounding by overpowering Cuba after losing the first game against Taiwan, lost 1-2 to Japan, moving back away from the ticket to the Super Round, which is given up to second place in the group.

The Premier 12 baseball team played against Japan at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th. Players from both teams preparing for the game. Taipei (Taiwan) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.11.15/

Coach Ryu put Hong Chang-ki (left-winger), Shin Min-jae (second baseman), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (first baseman), Na Seung-yeop (designated hitter), Choi Won-joon (right wing), Park Dong-won (catcher), Park Sung-han (striker), and Lee Ju-hyung (midfielder) in the starting lineup. The starting pitcher is Choi Seung-yong. Japanese coach Hirokazu Ibata started Guwahara (left fielder), Kozono (second baseman), Tatsumi (center fielder), Morishita (right fielder), Kurihara (third baseman), Maki (first baseman), Kiyomiya (designated hitter), Kuribayashi (striker) and Sakakura (catcher). Takahashi, the No. 1 ERA in the Central League this year, started.

The South Korean batters created a chance from the beginning of the first inning. The leadoff hitter Hong Chang-ki's left-handed hit, Shin Min-jae's forward hit, and Moon Bo-kyung's left-handed hit created chances with two outs and runners on first and third bases. However, Na Seung-yeop struck out. Choi Seung-yong retired when he missed the bottom of the first inning.

In the top of the second inning, South Korea made the first run. Park Sung-han hit a ground ball to third base after Park Dong-won's left-field double after one out, but Takahashi missed a ground ball hit by Lee Ju-hyung himself and became an infield hit. With two outs and runners on the first and third bases, Hong Chang-ki scored a hit in the left-center, and South Korea took the first run.

The Premier 12 baseball team played against Japan at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th. Hong Chang-ki hit a timely RBI single in the second inning. Taipei (Taiwan) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.11.15/

The Premier 12 baseball team played against Japan at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th. Choi Seung-yong allowed a come-from-behind victory in the bottom of the second inning when Japan's Kurebayashi hit a two-run timely hit. Taipei (Taiwan) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.11.15/

But the lead didn't last long. In the bottom of the second inning, Choi Seung-yong received consecutive hits from Morishita and Kurihara, making it the first and second bases with no outs. Choi Seung-yong was placed on the second and third bases with two outs, as third baseman Kim Do-young cleared Maki's straight hit, and Kiyomiya exchanged a ground ball to the first baseman. However, Korea fell behind 1-2 when Gurebayashi hit a timely two-run single to left. Choi Seung-yong gave up an infield hit to Sakakura, accumulating runners again, and the Korean bench succeeded in raising Yoo Young-chan to fill the last out count.

South Korea's Kim Do-young, Moon Bo-kyung and Na Seung-yeop all struck out Takahashi in the top of the third inning. However, Yoo Young-chan allowed a right-handed hit to the leadoff hitter Gojono in the bottom of the third inning and raised two out-counts with a ground ball, and the long ball allowed to Gurihara also raised the atmosphere again with Lee Ju-hyung's good defense in front of the fence.

The Premier 12 baseball team played against Japan at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th. Park Dong-won hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the fourth inning. Taipei (Taiwan) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.11.15/

The Premier 12 baseball team played against Japan at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th. One out in the fifth inning. Ryu Joong-il shares a high-five with Yoo Young-chan, who is going down the mound. Taipei (Taiwan) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.11.15/

The Premier 12 baseball team played against Japan at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th. Yoon Dong-hee hit an RBI double in the fifth inning with two outs and a runner on third base. Taipei (Taiwan) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.11.15/

South Korea succeeded in tying the game in the top of the fourth inning. With no runner with one out, Park Dong-won did not miss the change-up sprayed by Takahashi and rolled up to the center, leading to a tie-breaking solo shot over the left. Takahashi was on the verge of additional runs by giving up a hit and a stolen base to Park Sung-han, but he ended the inning with two consecutive strikeouts. In the end, however, he had to leave the mound after being in charge until the fourth inning. Yoo Young-chan, who also took the mound in the bottom of the fourth inning, gave up a hit after two outs, but succeeded in filling the last out count.

In the top of the fifth inning, South Korea brought back the lead. Against Sumida, who took the mound after Takahashi, Shin Min-jae, the leadoff batter, settled on second base when Kim Do-young grounded out to shortstop after getting on base with a heavy hit, and created a scoring chance by stealing to third base during Moon Bo-kyung's at-bat. When Moon Bo-kyung struck out, coach Ryu Joong-il put forward Yoon Dong-hee as a pinch hitter instead of Na Seung-yeop, and South Korea regained the lead by 3-2 as Yoon Dong-hee made an upset double in left-center.

The Premier 12 baseball team played against Japan at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th. In the fifth inning, Kwak Do-gyu, the pitching coach, Choi Il-eon. Taipei (Taiwan) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.11.15/

The Premier 12 baseball team played against Japan at Taipei Dome in Taiwan on the 15th. The bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Lee Young-ha allowed a timely two-run hit to Maki of Japan. Taipei (Taiwan) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2024.11.15/

Yoo Young-chan grounded out to shortstop even the first batter in the bottom of the fifth inning and handed over the mound to Kwak Do-gyu. Korean fans gave a standing ovation to Yoo Young-chan heading to the dugout. However, Korea was on the verge of a comeback as Kwak Do-kyu, who took the mound in relief, struck out his first batter and then walked consecutively and piled up runners with four pitches. Manager Ryu put Lee Young-ha on the mound in relief, but the game was turned upside down again when he gave up a timely hit to Maki with two RBIs. With two outs and runners on first and second bases, Japanese coach Ibata put Sano as a pinch hitter, but Lee Young-ha grounded out to second base, preventing further runs.

In the top of the sixth inning, Park Sung-han got on base with a hit to the right-center, but Lee Ju-hyung struck out and Hong Chang-ki grounded out to the first base, failing to take advantage of the chance. Lee Young-ha, who took the mound again in the bottom of the sixth inning, finished the inning by hitting all three batters.

The South Korean batters continued their one-point deficit in the top of the seventh inning as they failed to target Sumida. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Choi Ji-min gave up a hit to Gojono and struck out Tatsumi. Jung Hae-young took over the mound, but the gap widened to 3-6 when he gave up a two-run shot over the left-center wall to Morisita. Jung Hae-young grounded out Gurihara to first base, but gave up a double to Maki directly to left. Following Jung Hae-young, Kim Seo-hyun, who took the mound, struck out and filled the last out count.

The eighth inning when Japan put Fujihara on the mound. South Korea's Yoon Dong-hee, Choi Won-joon and Park Dong-won all struck out. In the bottom of the eighth inning, when Kim Seo-hyun walked Sakakura after one out and gave up a right-handed hit to Guwahara, Kim Taek-yeon took the mound and finished the inning without allowing a run.

South Korea ended the game with a three-point loss in the top of the ninth inning with no goal against Japanese closer Daisei.

ppark@sportschosun.com