Head coach Ryu Jung-il made a few changes to his starting lineup for the Korea-Japan match. Kim Do-young, who was instrumental in the upset win over Chinese Taipei the previous day (Nov. 16), has been moved up from No. 6 to No. 2.
The Korean National Baseball Team, led by head coach Ryu Jung-il, announced its starting lineup for the second game of the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) qualifier against Japan at 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. “Kim Do-young will bat second,” Ryu said.
Korea’s starting lineup was Kim Hye-sung (second base), Kim Do-young (third base), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Noh Si-hwan (first base), Moon Hyun-bin (designated hitter), Kim Hyung-joon (catcher), Kim Joo-won (shortstop), Park Seung-kyu (left fielder) and Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder).
In the first game against Australia the previous day (Nov. 16), South Korea fielded Kim Hye-sung (second base), Choi Ji-hoon (center field), Yoon Dong-hee (right field), Noh Si-hwan (first base), Moon Hyun-bin (left field), Kim Do-young (third base), Na Seung-yup (designated hitter), 먹튀검증 Kim Hyung-joon (catcher), and Kim Joo-won (shortstop).
In the 10th inning of the extra innings,
Noh Si-hwan’s game-winning hit in the 10th inning won the game 3-2, but it was a frustrating game for the batting lineup as they left 12 runners on base. Kim Hye-sung (0-for-4), Choi Ji-hoon (0-for-5), and Yoon Dong-hee (0-for-4) were silent at the top of the order, going a combined 13-for-13. “There will be some changes in the batting order tomorrow (Nov. 17),” said Ryu Jung-il after the game.
Compared to the previous day, Kim Do-young moved from the sixth spot to the second spot. Kim went 1-for-4 against Australia, and in her final at-bat as a leadoff hitter in the eighth inning, she hit a two-run double to left to tie the game. Right-hander Kim Do-young was moved to the No. 2 spot to face Japan’s left-handed starter Chihiro Sumida, while left-hander Choi Ji-hoon dropped to No. 9.
Kim Hye-sung at No. 1 and the cleanup trio of Yoon Dong-hee, Noh Shi-hwan, and Moon Hyun-bin at No. 3-5 remain. However, Moon Hyun-bin, who played left field the previous day, was moved to the designated hitter spot. Right fielder Park Seung-kyu moves into the starting lineup in left field to face Japanese left-hander Sumida. Shortstop Kim Joo-won moved up from the ninth to the seventh spot, and catcher Kim Hyung-jun moved up from the eighth to the sixth spot.
As expected, the starting pitcher will be left-hander Lee Yi-ri.
“We’ll go as far as we can go,” said Ryu Joong-il. “We have to win tomorrow (Aug. 18) against Taiwan. We used the bullpen a lot yesterday (Nov. 16), and we need to prepare for tomorrow’s game against Taiwan, so I want Lee to throw as long as possible. If he doesn’t, we can use other starters.”
Meanwhile, Japan’s starting lineup was Yuki Okabayashi (center field), Kaito Kozono (shortstop), Shota Morishita (left field), Shugo Maki (first base), Teruaki Sato (third base), Chusei Mannami (right field), Shogo Sakakura (catcher), Makoto Kadoki (second base), and Yuki Nomura (designated hitter). The starting pitcher is left-hander Chihiro Sumida. “He has a good fastball in his left hand and a good changeup,” Ryu said of Sumida.