Tokyo:South Korea experienced a 9-5 defeat against Japan in their second game at the regional baseball tournament on Friday, marking their second consecutive loss at the Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) held at Tokyo Dome. Despite initially leading, South Korea faltered due to a series of home runs.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea conceded four home runs, with the most significant being a three-run shot by Rui Muneyama in the bottom of the eighth inning, which gave Japan the lead. The South Korean team, comprised of Korea Baseball Organization stars, had previously lost to Australia 8-7.
South Korea is set to play against Taiwan on Saturday at 7 p.m., while Japan will face Australia at noon the same day. The tournament will conclude with the bottom two teams competing for third place and the top two teams contesting the championship final on Sunday.
This tournament is the third edition of the APBC, where South Korea has previously finished as runner-up to Japan. To make it to a third straight final, South Korea must beat Taiwan and hope for Japan's victory over Australia, leading to a tiebreaker scenario to determine the finalist.
The APBC is designed for players aged 24 years and younger or those with limited professional experience, allowing teams to include a few older players. South Korea's Han Dong-hui initially put the team ahead with a solo home run, but Japan quickly responded with home runs from Tomoya Masaki and Taiga Kojima to take the lead.
Despite a strong comeback by South Korea in the eighth inning, Japan secured the win with Muneyama's decisive home run and an additional run from Koki Yamaguchi. South Korea was unable to rally in the ninth inning, falling short against Japan's reliever, Hibiki Shinohara.