The Korean national baseball team competing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) recorded a draw in its first official warmup game.
Korea, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, tied 3-3 with Hanshin at Kyocera Dome Osaka, Japan, on the 2nd.
Manager Ryu set the batting order as follows: Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers), JaCoby Jones (Detroit Tigers), Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants), Shea Whittcomb (Houston Astros), Moon Bo-kyung (LG Twins), An Hyun-min (kt wiz), Kim Hye-seong (Los Angeles Dodgers), Park Dong-won, and Park Hae-min (both LG).
Kwak Bin (Doosan Bears) took the mound as the starting pitcher.
Korea took the lead in the first inning by hitting Hanshin starter Saiki Hiroto hard. Kim Do-young led off with an infield hit toward third base, followed by Lee Jung-hoo's center-field single. Moon Bo-kyung then drove in the first run with a center-field hit, and An Hyun-min doubled down the left-field line to make it 2-0.
However, the lead was short-lived. Kwak Bin gave up three runs in the second inning, allowing Hanshin to take the lead. After pitching scoreless innings through one out in the second with fastballs reaching up to 156 km/h, Kwak surrendered three consecutive runs.
Trailing Korea tied the game in the top of the fifth on Kim Do-young's solo home run. Kim attacked the first pitch from Hanshin's third pitcher Hayakawa Daiki, sending a solo shot to left-center field.
Neither team scored afterward, and the game ended in a draw.
Korea's pitching staff performed relatively steadily against Hanshin batters despite starter Kwak Bin's struggles. Noh Kyung-eun (SSG Landers), Son Ju-young (LG), Ko Young-pyo (kt), Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha), Park Young-hyun (kt), and Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan) all pitched scoreless relief innings, finishing the game without allowing additional runs.
The national team will play its final practice game against Nippon Professional Baseball's Orix Buffaloes at noon on the 3rd at the same venue, before facing the Czech Republic in the first WBC group stage game at Tokyo Dome, Japan, on the 5th.