[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Our baseball national team lost to the United States and will start the knockout stage as the second place in the group.
The baseball national team, led by manager Kim Kyung-moon, lost 2-4 to the United States in the second match of Group B in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic baseball group league held on the 31st at Yokohama Stadium in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
In the tense 10th inning extra innings when they outpaced Israel with three home runs, Korean baseball was limited to one double and four singles on this day.
It was especially regrettable that the core batting lineup consisting of Kim Hyun-soo, Kang Baek-ho, Yang Eui-ji, and Oh Jae-il (Samsung) remained silent with only one hit.
Relievers Kim Min-woo (Hanwha Eagles, 1⅔ innings) and Kim Jin-wook (Lotte Giants, ⅔ innings) struck out three batters and pitched well without allowing any runs, which was a positive outcome.
Our country finished the group league in second place with one win and one loss. In this Tokyo Olympic baseball, six participating countries will enter the knockout stage with a modified double-elimination format starting from August 1, based on the group league results.
Accordingly, our national team will face the second place of Group A, the Dominican Republic, at the same venue at 7 p.m. on the 1st. If they win this match, they will compete for a spot in the semifinals against the winner of the third place match between Mexico and Israel. The first place in Group B, the United States, will face the first place in Group A, Japan, on August 2 for a direct ticket to the semifinals.
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