Kwak Bin leads South Korea to fifth straight Asian Games baseball gold

No-hitter vs. Taiwan, 111-pitch gem in final vs. Japan

2 starts, 12⅓ innings, 1 run, 19 strikeouts, ERA 0.73

'I'll throw as long as I can' — and he meant it

Overseas scouts take notice as MLB buzz grows

Kwak Bin, South Korea's starting pitcher, delivers in the second inning of the gold-medal game against Japan at Toyohashi Municipal Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. [Yonhap]

Three years ago at the Asian Games, Kwak Bin never threw a single pitch. This time, at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the 27-year-old Doosan Bears right-hander returned as the undisputed ace — the man South Korea trusted to open and close its gold-medal run.

Kwak took the mound Sunday as the starter in the baseball final against Japan at Toyohashi Municipal Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, throwing 111 pitches across 6⅓ innings and allowing four hits, two walks and one run while striking out nine.

He did not earn the win. With South Korea's offense managing only one run, Kwak surrendered the tying run in the bottom of the seventh and was lifted. South Korea rallied in the eighth — Kim Do-young delivered the go-ahead hit and Moon Bo-kyung added an insurance RBI single — to win 3-1, and Kwak's gutsy outing proved decisive in securing the country's fifth consecutive Asian Games baseball title.

Even in driving rain, Kwak was dominant. Mixing a fastball that touched the mid-150s km/h with sharp breaking balls, he held the Japanese lineup — the same team that had beaten South Korea 5-0 in the super round — scoreless through six innings.

It was only in the seventh, after his pitch count crossed 100, that Japan finally broke through. With one out and runners on first and second, Sato Yuki laced a run-scoring single to left to tie the game. Kwak's expression as he handed the ball to Jo Byeong-hyeon and walked off the mound said everything. His 111 pitches fell just two short of his personal season-high of 113 in the KBO League this year.

Kwak Bin, South Korea's starting pitcher, greets teammates after completing the fifth inning of the gold-medal game against Japan at Toyohashi Municipal Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. [Yonhap]

Kwak was, in every sense, the team's alpha and omega at this tournament. In South Korea's opening-round opener against Taiwan on Monday, he started and threw six no-hit innings, walking two and striking out 10 without allowing a run in a 5-0 victory. He touched 157 km/h that day, announcing himself as the unquestioned No. 1 starter.

But Kwak was not satisfied. After the Taiwan game, he said he could not be content with just one outing. "If I'm given the chance to decide the championship for this team, I'll throw as long as I can," he said. Five days later, back on the mound in the final, he did exactly that — 111 pitches.

His tournament line: two starts, 12⅓ innings, one run allowed, 19 strikeouts, ERA 0.73. He handled the two games South Korea absolutely had to win — the opener against Taiwan and the gold-medal final against Japan — and delivered both times. His back-to-back displays of power pitching and strikeout ability also caught the attention of overseas scouts in attendance. For Kwak, whose name has already come up in discussions about a future move to Major League Baseball, the tournament served as a showcase for his competitiveness on the international stage.

Kwak Bin stands on the mound in the sixth inning of the gold-medal game against Japan at Toyohashi Municipal Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. [Yonhap]

Kwak had worn the national team uniform at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games as well, but developed back spasms before the opening group-stage game. He never recovered in time and did not pitch in a single game throughout the tournament. South Korea won gold, but Kwak was left with the lingering regret of having contributed nothing from the mound.

His standing has changed considerably since then. This KBO League season, Kwak has appeared in 26 games, going 11-7 with a 2.26 ERA and 186 strikeouts — leading the league in both categories. Head coach Ryu Ji-hyeon selected him as a wild-card addition to the national team roster ahead of this tournament, calling him "the most reliable ace card we have."

Kwak answered that faith in the two games that mattered most. Where he had never once taken the mound in Hangzhou, he started both South Korea's first game and its last at these Games.

Against Taiwan, six no-hit innings opened the door to a gold-medal run. Against Japan in the final, 111 pitches laid the foundation for the title. Two starts were all it took to prove he deserved to be called an ace.

yjc@heraldcorp.com