(LEAD) (Asiad) S. Korea shuts out Chinese Taipei to begin baseball title defense

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea blanked Chinese Taipei 5-0 to begin its quest for a fifth consecutive Asian Games baseball gold medal on Monday.

Starter Gwak Been tossed six no-hit innings and struck out 10 batters, while five different batters each drove in a run in Group B action at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Okazaki, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city Nagoya.

After Gwak was lifted, Jo Byeong-hyeon tossed two hitless innings before Park Yeong-hyun pitched around a couple of hits in his one inning of work.

Made up of stars from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), South Korea will next play Hong Kong at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Toyohashi, some 85 km southeast of Nagoya.

The final Group C game will be against Thailand at noon Wednesday in Okazaki.

The two best teams from each of the two groups will advance to the Super Round, and the top two teams from that phase will meet for the gold medal at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday in Toyohashi.

With two heavy underdogs on the horizon, South Korea will likely win Group B and reach the Super Round with ease.

"With the pressure of playing at a big competition, the first game is always a difficult one," South Korean manager Ryu Ji-hyun said. "Some of our young players appeared nervous, but we were able to find our rhythm eventually."

Gwak, who leads the KBO with 186 strikeouts and a 2.26 ERA this season, was too much for Chinese Taipei hitters.

The South Korean lineup, though, also did little against starter Lin Yi-wei, managing just a run on a sacrifice fly by Park Jae-hyun with the bases loaded in the second inning.

South Korea tacked on two runs in the seventh on a double by Park Jun-soon and a sacrifice fly by Cho Hyeong-woo.

After another sac fly by Roh Si-hwan in the eighth, Yoon Dong-hee punctuated victory with a solo home run.

Kim Ju-won, who batted fifth, went 3-for-4 at the plate, prompting Ryu to consider tweaking his lineup.

"He has great timing in the box, and I will think of ways to make the most of his current form," Ryu said of Kim. "Gwak Been pitched like the true ace that he is."

Gwak said he wanted to make sure the team would get off on the right foot.

"My fastball and changeup were working today, and I focused more on command than velocity," the right-hander said. "I could have done without the two walks. I tend to start rushing things when I give up walks. I need to slow down."

Gwak was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2023 Asian Games but did not appear in any game due to back spasms.

Asked if Monday's performance helped him put his disappointment from three years ago behind him, Gwak said: "This is not enough. We have to win the gold medal no matter what. And if I can pitch this team to the title, then I will talk about this."