South Korea’s Choi Ji-hyung pitches, hits way to title game.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — South Korea won the international bracket Saturday at the Little League World Series and there’s no question who led the way. Choi Ji-hyung blasted his third home run of the World Series, then struck out seven over 4⅔ innings Saturday, giving South Korea a spot in the tournament championship with a 2-1 win over Japan.
South Korea will play Hawaii in the Little League World Series championship on Sunday.
With two outs and nobody on in the first inning, Choi’s homer reached fans camped out beyond the left-field fence.
He raised his right index finger in the air as he rounded first and jumped up to high five his third-base coach with both hands on his way home.
Though new bats in use at this year’s World Series have caused home runs to become scarce, it was Choi’s second homer against Japan at the double-elimination
tournament. He also hit one in South Korea’s 10-0 victory on Wednesday, and finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs across the two Japan games, scoring four runs.
South Korea also got its second run in the first inning Saturday. Just after Choi’s shot, Choi Soo-ho’s double to center drove home Kim Gi-jeong, who reached second on a throwing error by Japan.
“We didn’t expect a 10-0 game today, but getting two runs didn’t satisfy us,” said South Korea’s manager, Su Ji-hee through a translator. “We didn’t think the two runs would be the final runs.”
Choi Ji-hyung also started on the mound for South Korea, keeping Japan scoreless on three hits while he was in. But was pulled in the top of the fifth with runners on the corners.
Kim Yeong-hyeon came in to pitch a four-out save and allowed Masaumi Ikeuchi to hit a high double that dropped into right field and scored Kai Nogami, who reached base to lead off the inning when he was hit on the left wrist.
Kim struck out the next batter, Yuya Ito, to end Japan’s threat.
Japan’s offense, which scored 45 runs in their four-game sweep of the Japanese regional tournament, only managed 17 across its five games in Williamsport.
“I thought, because it was the same team, we won’t lose twice,” said Japan’s manager, Hiroyuki Takahashi through a translator. “But Korea, they were strong.”