AFC Champions League" South Korea suffered 12 consecutive defeats against Japan. Star player Lee Seung-yeop: The gap between Japan and South Korea may widen further.

Japanese team. (AP)

[Sports Center/Comprehensive Report] In the 2026 AFC Champions League, the South Korean team lost to the Japanese team 5-9 yesterday. If we count professional players as the main players, South Korea has suffered a 12-game losing streak against Japan. South Korean star Lee Seung-yeop said bluntly in an interview today, "The strength gap between South Korea and Japanese baseball will probably widen further in the future. If this continues, the situation will only become more difficult."

In international competitions where professional players participate, the last time the South Korean team defeated Japan was in the semi-finals of the World Baseball Top 12 in 2015. In the past 13 games, the South Korean team only lost 1 and 12, making it difficult to win.

South Korean media "News1" reported that Lee Seung-yeop, who worked as a hitting coach for the Yomiuri Giants this year, said in an interview today, "Japan has its own training methods and baseball culture, but they also borrow a lot from American baseball and have modernized in all aspects. They retain their own advantages, while absorbing the parts worth learning and discarding the things that are not suitable, so the overall level is higher than imagined."

Lee Seung-yeop pointed out that the Japanese team's second pitcher yesterday, right-hander Yutaro Ishida, who plays for Yokohama DeNA, only won 5 games in this year's regular season. "But it is difficult for our hitters to effectively attack his pitches. Not only is there a gap in pitcher strength, but there is also a big gap between the two sides in handling the details of the game."

"Failed to win even once in these 13 games, this is a problem that Korean baseball must take seriously." Lee Seung-yeop said, "Now we are no longer a partner keeping pace with Japan, but are catching up from behind. Both training methods and players' concepts must be changed, and people in the baseball industry should also readjust their thinking."

In addition, the Japanese team defeated Australia 16-1 today, and the Japanese team advanced to the final with 3 consecutive victories.

South Korea team. (File photo, Associated Press)