Manager Choi Won-ho deployed Kim Ji-chan as the leadoff hitter for the South Korean baseball national team at Tokyo Dome on November 14 in a decisive preliminary match against Taiwan at the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship.
South Korea entered the third preliminary round winless after suffering defeats to Australia 7-8 and Japan 5-9. The squad needed a victory against Taiwan to secure advancement to the finals without relying on complicated tiebreaker calculations.
A victory over Taiwan would leave South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia all tied with one win and two losses. Japan’s 16-1 victory over Australia in an earlier match provided South Korea with a strong advantage in the Team Quality Balance calculation.
The starting lineup for the game featured Kim Ji-chan in center field, Kim Do-yeong at third base, and Kim Joo-won at shortstop. Han Dong-hee took over first base, Kim Hwi-jip played second base, and Ahn Hyun-min started in right field.
Ahn Jae-seok served as the designated hitter, Jo Hyeong-woo started as catcher, and Park Jae-hyun took left field. Manager Choi shuffled the batting order by moving Kim Ji-chan to the leadoff spot, shifting Kim Joo-won to third, and placing Ahn Hyun-min sixth.
Lee Eo-roon took the mound as South Korea’s starting pitcher. Lee appeared in 50 games this season, pitched 69 innings, and recorded 8 wins, 4 losses, 7 holds, and a 5.61 ERA.
After working exclusively as a relief pitcher since his professional debut, Lee transitioned to a starting role in September. He received the ball for the match that would decide his team’s tournament fate.
Taiwan selected right-handed pitcher Hsu Hsiang-sung from the Nippon Professional Baseball team Yakult Swallows to start the game. Hsu previously participated in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held in September.
| Team | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | Australia | Lost 7-8 |
| South Korea | Japan | Lost 5-9 |
| Japan | Australia | Won 16-1 |
