Asiad: PH baseball medal hopes end in shutout loss to Japan

The Philippine men’s national baseball team trains for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. File Photo courtesy of the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA).The Philippines bowed to host Japan, 7-0, to close out the group stage of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday at the Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture.

Japan starting pitcher Kento Nagano held the Filipino bats in check, allowing just two hits while throwing 77 pitches across seven innings. 

The Nationals limited world No. 1 Japan to just six hits but struggled to produce offense of their own. 

Yukiya Yano gave the hosts an early lead with a two-run homer in the second inning, while Japan added three runs in the third to pull away.

Manami Soeda then launched another two-run homer in the sixth inning as Japan maintained control through the final frames. 

The loss sends the Philippines to the classification round, where it will compete for a spot from fifth to eighth place.