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South Korea national baseball team slugger Kim Do-yeong roars after driving in the go-ahead run with two outs and runners on first and third in the top of the eighth inning against Japan during the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games baseball final held at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan on the 27th. / Yonhap

The South Korean national baseball team achieved an unprecedented fifth consecutive Asian Games title, yet celebrated without genuine smiles. While the team met its objective by assembling a star-studded roster rivaling a professional all-star squad, its underwhelming performance on the field drew deep disappointment from baseball fans.

Led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, South Korea defeated Japan 3-1 in the baseball final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan on the 27th to secure the gold medal. Averting the sting of a 0-5 shutout loss in the first game of the Super Round, South Korea built a historic milestone of five straight tournament titles, spanning Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014, Jakarta-Palembang 2018, Hangzhou 2022, and this year's edition.

In contrast to these outward achievements, baseball fans view the journey to the top as leaving much to be desired. Despite fielding professional players whose combined annual salaries reach 5.4 billion won, the team struggled throughout the tournament against a Japanese roster made up entirely of amateur corporate-league players.

In the first Super Round game, South Korea was virtually toyed with by Japanese left-hander Shin Higuchi. Having already raised concerns by scoring only one run through five innings against Taiwanese starter Lin Yi-wei in their opening group-stage match, South Korea fell meekly against Higuchi, mustering just four hits. It marked the first time in 20 years since the Doha 2006 Games that an elite South Korean professional lineup suffered a comprehensive defeat against Japan's amateur contingent.

Sluggish batting carried over into the final. After scoring one run in the top of the second inning on an opponent defensive misplay followed by an RBI single from Moon Hyun-bin (22, Hanwha), the South Korean lineup chased Higuchi after three innings but failed to add more runs deep into the contest. Tied 1-1 in the top of the eighth, South Korea barely pulled ahead on an infield single by marquee slugger Kim Do-yeong (23, KIA). The middle of the order—anchored by Kim, Roh Si-hwan (26, Hanwha), and Moon Bo-gyeong (26, LG), who combined for 67 home runs in the KBO League this season—failed to hit a single home run in the final, souring its reputation. Furthermore, batters accustomed to the domestic automated ball-strike system (ABS) struggled to adjust quickly to individual umpires' varying strike zones, frequently stepping away from the plate without putting up a fight.

Following the Super Round opener and through the conclusion of the final, South Korean online baseball communities were flooded with mockery and sharp criticism rather than praise and encouragement, featuring comments such as "Are you really proud of winning gold against amateurs?" and "Asian Games military exemptions should be scrapped now." Amid this public backlash, Kim Do-yeong, who played through a fractured nasal bone, kept a stiff expression even after clinching the championship.

Finishing the tournament with a modest 0.250 batting average (6 hits in 24 at-bats) across six games, Kim reflected, "Honestly, a part of me feels unsettled. I only feel sorry for failing to live up to such high expectations." He added, "I felt like I need to start all over again from scratch. If I am given the chance to wear the national flag again at the next international tournament, I will make up for it without fail."

                                                                                                         Cho Seong-jun