Noh Si-hwan of the South Korean baseball team trains before their first-round match against Australia at the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov. 15.
South Korea’s starting lineup for its first game of the Asia-Pacific Baseball Championship (APBC) against Australia has been revealed.
The team, led by head coach Ryu Jung-il, will take on Australia at 12 p.m. on Nov. 16 at the Tokyo Dome.
The tournament will feature three preliminary rounds, with the top two teams heading straight to the finals and the bottom two playing for third and fourth place. In the event of a tie, the winner of the best-of-three series will advance.
South Korea’s path to the finals starts with Australia. If they start the tournament with one loss, they won’t be able to guarantee a spot in the final. That’s why it’s imperative to beat Australia.
The starting pitcher was Moon Dong-ju, and the batting order was revealed an hour before the game.
Korea’s batting order was 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), Kim Hyung-joon (catcher), and Kim Joo-won (shortstop).
The top of the order is the same as it was at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, with Hanwha Eagles rookie Moon Hyun-bin batting fifth.
The hard-hitting Na Seung-yeop will anchor the middle of the order as the designated hitter in the No. 7 spot.
“We put Yoon Dong-hee, who has a good bat, in the third spot and Na Seung-yeop as the designated hitter to maximize our offense,” Ryu said, “and we hope that Moon Dong-joo can go five to six innings and throw 80 to 90 pitches.” 슬롯