South Korea has not beaten Japan in international baseball since 2015, dropping twelve consecutive games across tournaments in a skid that prompted former manager Lee Seung-yeop to declare that the historic rivalry no longer exists on equal terms, STARNEWS reported.
“Actually, there is a level gap,” Lee said on Saturday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, where he attended the “Jamsil Last Inn by Renault” legend game. “If things stay as they are, it will be painful, and the level gap will become even larger in the future.”
Japan Uses Technology and Tradition to Advance
The twelve-game slide includes a 5-9 loss to Japan during the preliminary round of the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship. South Korea secured second place in the standings on team quality balance after defeating Taiwan 6-5, setting up a rematch in the tournament final.
Lee spent a year working as a hitting coach for the Yomiuri Giants during his career, giving him direct exposure to Nippon Professional Baseball. He pointed to a blend of tradition and advanced technology as the driver behind Japan’s rapid ascent.
“Japan also tries to follow American baseball a lot,” Lee said. “While they have unique training methods or culture, everything has been modernized in the training process, including biomechanics, radar speed guns, and bat speed measurements.”
Subtle Pitching Discrepancies
The former national team slugger, who played pivotal roles during South Korea’s third-place finish at the 2006 World Baseball Classic and gold medal run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, highlighted specific mechanical advantages on the mound.
“The pitcher’s level gap is very large,” Lee said. “Nine out of ten will make subtle changes in their pitching delivery, and it’s hard to catch with the naked eye.”
He said that even second-tier relievers in Japan who post modest win totals in domestic play present immense challenges for opposing batters in international competition.
Calls for Complete Reform
South Korea and Japan now occupy different tiers in the sport, according to Lee, who urged the domestic baseball community to abandon old habits and restructure training programs from the ground up.
“We have never won in 12 matches, and this is an issue our baseball world must treat seriously,” Lee said. “Now, South Korea and Japan are no longer partners, but a position where we are chasing from below.”
“If there is such a transitional period, the gap will narrow, and the day will come when we cheer like we did at the Olympics or WBC,” Lee said.
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