It was frustrating, but somehow he managed to get revenge. The Korean national baseball team of the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) 2023, led by head coach Ryu Joong-il, won a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Australia, which suffered a shocking defeat at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March.
The national team beat Australia 3-2 in the first round of the tournament qualifying round at Tokyo Dome in Japan on the 16th with a walk-off hit by Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha Eagles) in the 10th inning of extra time. As a result, South Korea succeeded in avenging Australia for the first time in eight months, which was hampered in the first round of the WBC.
The departure was squeaky. Australian batters responded well to the fast fastball, the main weapon of starter Moon Dong-ju (Hanwha). After giving a walk to leadoff hitter Liam Spence in the top of the first inning, he caused a crisis with one out and first and third bases with a wild pitch and a walk. He handled the fourth batter, Alex Hall, with a fly ball, but he threw a fastball to the follow-up batter, Campbell, and got a timely hit to the right.
South Korea tied the score in the bottom of the second inning. Kim Hyung-joon (NC Dinos) hit a timely hit in the middle with one out and a walk by Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha) and Na Seung-yeop (Lotte Giants) to balance the 1-1 game. But the chance to turn the tables was missed. Kim Joo-won (NC) drew a walk and connected it with one out, but no follow-up hit came out. Since then, Moon Dong-ju has stabilized in the 3rd and 5th innings, and the batters have continued to send runners to the scoring position, but no additional points have been added. And in the top of the sixth inning, Moon Dong-ju gave up a solo home run to Australia's fourth batter, Hall, and was dragged back to 1-2. Moon Dong-ju had five hits (one home run) and four walks, five strikeouts and two runs (two earned runs) in 5 2/3 innings.
South Korea tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning with a double by leadoff hitter Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers) and a lucky hit by Kim Joo-won after two outs. In the end, the two teams were unable to decide until the ninth inning, so they began to attack with runners on the first and second bases with no outs.
Jung Hae-young (KIA), who took the mound with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, also took the mound in the top of the 10th inning and laid the foundation for his victory with a scoreless pitching. Jung Hae-young struck out the leadoff hitter in the 10th inning. Third baseman Kim Do-young then caught and missed a line drive hit, but it became a blessing in disguise. Kim Do-young calmly stepped on the third base and sprayed the ball to the second base to complete the double play.
And in the bottom of the 10th inning, No. 4 hitter Noh Si-hwan took the leadoff batter and hit a first-pitch changeup, hitting a timely hit to the left-center to end the extended blood fight. South Korea, which has secured the upper hand to advance to the finals by winning its first match, will play preliminary matches against Japan on the 17th and Taiwan on the 18th.