Kwak Bin of the South Korean national baseball team pitches during a training session at Okazaki Central General Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Saturday, a day before the team's Group B opener against Taiwan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. [Yonhap]
Kwak Bin of the South Korean national baseball team pitches during a training session at Okazaki Central General Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Saturday, a day before the team's Group B opener against Taiwan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. [Yonhap]

Right-handed power pitcher Kwak Bin of the Doosan Bears will take the mound as the starter in South Korea's Group B opener against Taiwan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

National team manager Ryu Ji-hyeon announced Sunday that Kwak will start the game against Taiwan, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at Okazaki Central General Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Kwak leads the KBO regular season this year in ERA (2.26) and strikeouts (186), making him South Korea's most formidable starting option.

After arriving in Nagoya, Kwak threw a bullpen session at an indoor practice facility on Saturday, all but confirming his start against Taiwan.

Ryu views the Taiwan game as the most critical contest in South Korea's bid for a fifth consecutive Asian Games gold medal and plans to deploy his full pitching staff, led by Kwak, to counter Taiwan's lineup.

Taiwan will counter with 20-year-old right-hander Lin Yiwei, who plays for the amateur club team Hecheng Jinkuo, bypassing left-handers Wang Yencheng of the Hanwha Eagles and Lin Yumin, who plays in the US minor leagues.

The move appears designed to create confusion by sending out a pitcher South Korea knows little about.

Taiwan used the same tactic in its opening game against South Korea at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, starting an amateur-league pitcher — and it paid off.


mss@heraldcorp.com