The Korean national baseball team's red-hot bats proved too much for the Orix Buffaloes pitching staff to contain. Preparing for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Team Korea secured a dominant victory powered by their offense in their final tune-up game before the first round, then departed for Tokyo Dome where the real battle awaits.
Korea, managed by Ryu Ji-hyun, defeated the Nippon Professional Baseball's Orix Buffaloes 8-5 at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan, on March 3.
Having drawn 3-3 against the Hanshin Tigers the previous day, Korea finished their two exhibition games against Japanese professional teams with one win and one draw.
The Korean national team traveled to Tokyo later that day to prepare for their Pool C opener against the Czech Republic at Tokyo Dome on March 5.
Against Orix, Korea fielded a starting lineup of Kim Do-young (KIA Tigers), Jermaine Jones (Detroit Tigers), Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants), Ahn Hyun-min (kt wiz), Moon Bo-kyung (LG Twins), Shea Whitcomb (Houston Astros), Kim Hye-seong (Los Angeles Dodgers), Park Dong-won (LG), and Kim Ju-won (NC Dinos).
The Korean lineup collected 10 hits including three home runs, scoring eight runs to sharpen their batting ahead of the WBC opener.
Korea pressured Orix from the start. In the top of the second inning, leadoff hitter Ahn Hyun-min singled to center, followed by walks to Moon Bo-kyung and Kim Hye-seong to load the bases with one out. Park Dong-won's single to center and Kim Ju-won's groundout to second each drove in a run, giving Korea a 2-0 lead.
With two outs and runners on first and third, Kim Do-young crushed a hanging breaking ball from Orix starter Katayama Raiku over the left field fence for a three-run homer.
Kim Do-young, who also homered against Hanshin the day before, hit his second consecutive game with a long ball, raising expectations for his performance in the first round.
After Korea added another run, they faced a crisis in the fourth inning when they surrendered three runs. Relief pitcher Song Seung-gi (LG) walked two batters and allowed a hit to create a two-out, bases-loaded jam, then gave up a two-RBI single to center to opposing leadoff hitter Mune Yuma.
Ko Woo-suk (Detroit Tigers minor league affiliate), who entered in relief, walked Kurebayashi Kotaro with the bases loaded, and Korea found themselves trailing 6-3.
However, Korea immediately responded in the top of the fifth inning when Korean-American Whitcomb launched a solo home run to left-center field off Orix's fifth pitcher Yamada Nobuyoshi, extending the lead to 7-3.
Korea then gave up two more runs. Yoo Young-chan (LG), who took the mound in the eighth inning, allowed a walk and hits to put runners on second and third with one out, then surrendered two runs on a sacrifice fly and a single.
But in the clutch, "monster hitter" Ahn Hyun-min stepped up and delivered a decisive home run. Leading off the top of the ninth inning, Ahn crushed a towering solo shot over the left field wall off Orix pitcher Takashima Daito.
Korea ultimately preserved the three-run margin to close out their final exhibition game with a satisfying victory.
Korean starting pitcher Dane Dunning (Seattle Mariners) pitched three innings, allowing three hits with one strikeout and no runs, completing a successful debut for the Korean national team.
