PH Men’s Baseball dominates SEA Games return with explosive 3-0 start

The long-awaited return of baseball to the Southeast Asian Games has turned into a showcase of Philippine excellence, as the national team stormed through the opening stretch of the 33rd SEA Games with a perfect 3-0 record—and a brand of baseball that has left opponents scrambling for answers.

On Monday afternoon, at the Queen Sirikit Baseball Stadium, the Filipinos delivered their loudest statement yet: a 21-0 demolition of Malaysia that needed only five innings to complete. It wasn’t just a win—it was a reminder of why the Philippines has long been regarded as the region’s gold-standard program.

Baseball is back in the SEA Games after missing the last two editions, but for the Philippines, the mission hasn’t changed. Coach Orlando Binarao, who steered the team to gold in 2019, was clear about their approach.

“Kailangan talaga i-treat namin every game like it’s championship game, so hindi puwede magrelax-relax hanggang sa makamit ulit namin ang gold,” he said.

The team played exactly that way. With just 10 hits, the Philippines still piled up 21 runs, capitalizing on Malaysia’s 11 walks and three errors to enforce the 15-run mercy rule by the fifth inning. It was an inning-by-inning dismantling fueled by aggressive baserunning, disciplined batting, and airtight pitching.

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3-0

IN PHOTOS: The Philippines remained perfect with a 3-0 record in the men’s baseball competition at the 33rd SEA Games, routing Malaysia 21-0 in just five innings on Monday at the Queen Sirikit Baseball Stadium.

: POC Media Pool pic.twitter.com/I4snaLTN7S

— GMA Sports (@gmasportsph) December 8, 2025

Liam de Vera sparked the early avalanche, going 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Nigel Paule matched the energy with five RBIs on two hits, while Paulo Macasaet chipped in with three RBIs of his own. Contributions flowed throughout the lineup: John Matanguihan scored three runs on two hits, Mark Beronilla added an RBI, Kenneth Maulit crossed home plate three times, and Razhley Santos added a run and an RBI.

But equally destructive was the Filipino pitching duo.

Clarence Caasalan opened the game by overpowering Malaysia with six strikeouts across three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. 

Kennedy Torres wrapped things up just as efficiently, delivering two hitless, walk-free innings and striking out three. Together, they slammed the door on Malaysia’s offense and held them to a lone base hit the entire afternoon.

The victory follows two earlier mercy-rule wins—14-0 over Indonesia and 17-3 over Singapore—setting the tone for a Philippine squad that looks every bit like a title contender.

Up next is a meeting with Vietnam on Tuesday, a warmup for what most expect to be the toughest game of the eliminations: a showdown with host nation Thailand.

“’Yun talaga ang pinaghahandaan namin dahil may mga Thai-American sila, mga Thai-Japanese na players,” Binarao shared.

“Pero alam namin na pinaghahandaan nila kami.”

The single-round elimination phase concludes on Thursday, with the top two teams punching their tickets to Friday’s gold-medal game. With three blowout wins in the bag and momentum building by the inning, the Philippines is positioning itself for another shot at regional supremacy.

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