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Asian Games baseball: South Korea on full alert for Taiwan, star warns pitchers are two levels ahead

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • South Korea will seek a fifth consecutive Asian Games baseball title when the 2026 Nagoya Games are expected to begin in late September.
  • Taiwanese media coverage describes Taiwan as South Korea’s biggest obstacle, citing overseas players and pitchers capable of throwing faster than 150 kph.
  • Former South Korean pitcher Cho Kye-hyun said Taiwan’s pitching could be one and a half to two levels stronger than South Korea’s, making the teams’ opening game especially important.

South Korea’s path to a fifth straight Asian Games baseball title could become difficult from the very first game. Korean outlet STARNEWS has identified Taiwan as the biggest threat to the defending champions at the 2026 Nagoya Games, which are expected to begin in late September.

The tournament is likely to feature a three-way fight among Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Japan plans to field a team made up of corporate league players. South Korea is expected to rely mainly on KBO players aged 25 or younger, supported by top-level wildcard selections. Taiwan, meanwhile, is bringing in a large number of players based overseas and is aiming to build greater overall power.

Taiwanese baseball has improved a great deal overall, in pitching, hitting, defense and baserunning.

· Cho Kye-hyunThe former South Korean pitcher assessed Taiwan’s overall improvement.

The reported Taiwan roster includes Hanchewha Eagles left-hander Wang Yen-cheng and players active in the United States and Japan. STARNEWS noted that Taiwan also has several pitchers capable of throwing above 150 kph, giving the team a formidable threat. Injuries, recruitment coordination and the lack of time for players to develop cohesion could weaken Taiwan, but those concerns do not make the team easy to beat.

They may be one and a half, or even two levels above us.

· Cho Kye-hyunHe warned that Taiwan could have a major advantage in pitching.

For South Korea, the opening group-stage game against Taiwan could be decisive. Under the tournament format, the winner of each group faces the runner-up from the other group. Finishing first in Group B would therefore be highly valuable, because a South Korean loss to Taiwan could increase the chance of facing Japan later in the competition.

Cho Kye-hyun, a former top Korean professional pitcher and head of South Korea’s national-team training committee, praised Taiwan’s improvement in every part of the game. “Taiwanese baseball has improved a great deal overall, in pitching, hitting, defense and baserunning,” he said. On the pitching staff, he added, “They may be one and a half, or even two levels above us.” Cho nevertheless said South Korea’s goal remained the gold medal, citing the team’s determination in international competition.

Our players have the toughness to fight to the end whenever they play in international competitions, and our goal is to win the championship.

· Cho Kye-hyunHe reaffirmed South Korea’s objective despite the threat from Taiwan and Japan.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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