How did Gwak Been pitch against Chinese Taipei in South Korea's Asian Games opener?

Gwak Been delivered six no-hit innings and struck out 10 batters before being lifted. Jo Byeong-hyeon followed with two hitless innings, and Park Yeong-hyun worked the ninth while allowing a couple of hits.

When are South Korea's next Asian Games baseball games after beating Chinese Taipei?

South Korea plays Hong Kong at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium. The team then meets Thailand at noon Wednesday in Okazaki.

How did South Korea score its 5 runs against Chinese Taipei?

South Korea opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly by Park Jae-hyun in the second inning. It added two runs in the seventh on Park Jun-soon’s double and Cho Hyeong-woo’s sacrifice fly, then Roh Si-hwan drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth before Yoon Dong-hee capped the win with a solo homer.

Asian Games S. Korea shuts out Chinese Taipei to begin baseball title defense

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Summary

South Korea blanked Chinese Taipei 5-0 in Nagoya on Monday to open its bid for a fifth consecutive Asian Games baseball gold medal. Starter Gwak Been threw six no-hit innings with 10 strikeouts, and the KBO-based lineup scored in every later inning needed for the win. South Korea next plays Hong Kong on Tuesday and Thailand on Wednesday in Group B.

Key Facts

Gwak Been leads the KBO with 186 strikeouts and a 2.26 ERA this season.
South Korea scored its first run on a sacrifice fly by Park Jae-hyun with the bases loaded in the second inning.
South Korea added two runs in the seventh on a double by Park Jun-soon and a sacrifice fly by Cho Hyeong-woo.
Roh Si-hwan drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, and Yoon Dong-hee finished the scoring with a solo home run.
The two best teams from each of the two groups will advance to the Super Round, and the top two teams there will play for the gold medal on Sunday in Toyohashi.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 21, 2026 9:39 pm KST
Updated Sep 21, 2026 10:09 pm KST

South Korean starter Gwak Been pitches against Chinese Taipei during the teams' Group B game at the Asian Games at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Okazaki, Japan, Monday. Yonhap

NAGOYA — South Korea blanked Chinese Taipei 5-0 to begin its quest for a fifth consecutive Asian Games baseball gold medal on Monday.

Starter Gwak Been tossed six no-hit innings and struck out 10 batters, while five different batters each drove in a run in Group B action at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Okazaki, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city Nagoya.

After Gwak was lifted, Jo Byeong-hyeon tossed two hitless innings before Park Yeong-hyun pitched around a couple of hits in his one inning of work.

Made up of stars from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), South Korea will next play Hong Kong at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Toyohashi, some 85 km southeast of Nagoya.

The final Group C game will be against Thailand at noon Wednesday in Okazaki.

The two best teams from each of the two groups will advance to the Super Round, and the top two teams from that phase will meet for the gold medal at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday in Toyohashi.

With two heavy underdogs on the horizon, South Korea will likely win Group B and reach the Super Round with ease.

Gwak, who leads the KBO with 186 strikeouts and a 2.26 ERA this season, was too much for Chinese Taipei hitters.

The South Korean lineup, though, also did little against starter Lin Yi-wei, managing just a run on a sacrifice fly by Park Jae-hyun with the bases loaded in the second inning.

South Korea tacked on two runs in the seventh on a double by Park Jun-soon and a sacrifice fly by Cho Hyeong-woo.

After another sac fly by Roh Si-hwan in the eighth, Yoon Dong-hee punctuated victory with a solo home run.

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