'Even if you throw it without any effort, 150km!' Even a long shot with a two-way flow...The monster who shouted "No. 1" couldn't stop the heavy rain
Jul 17, 2024
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On the 16th, Jeonju High School beat Masan Yongmago in the 79th Blue Dragon Open National High School Baseball Championship and the weekend league King Wangjung match (co-hosted by the Chosun Ilbo, Sports Chosun, and Korea Baseball Softball Association).
On this day, Jung Woo-joo took the mound three times. a situation in which rain was predicted even before the game. Jeon High School was unable to play because Lee Ho-min, the second pitcher who threw 72 pitches in the semifinal, was limited in the number of pitches. There were many good left-handed hitters in Masan Yongmago, so there was also a burden to use side arm Kim Young-bin.
Jung Woo-joo initially stood by the bullpen. However, when first-year Lee Si-hoo, who started, allowed him to walk three consecutive times from the first inning, he hurriedly warmed up and took the mound. As soon as he appeared, he surprised the crowd by throwing a fastball of about 150km. He struck out the crisis with one out and the bases loaded with one out, trailing 0-1.
Jung Woo-joo, who struck out three consecutive batters until the first batter in the second inning, was out to right field. However, when the next pitcher allowed a triple mixed with Jung Woo-joo's own mistakes, he took the mound again. Again, he broke the crisis of losing points.
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Both teams are local teams, and more than 1,000 cheering squads from their alma mater are holding a hot cheering match. The Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) wanted to end the game if possible.
The game resumed after waiting about an hour and 40 minutes. Pitchers continued to pitch carefully on the mound, which was quite loose due to repeated heavy rains. In the meantime, Jung Woo-ju's presence was absolute. Despite worrying about Baldidim, a 150km fastball that was sucked into the catcher's mitt stood out.
Fortunately, the weather cleared up after that, and it didn't rain much before the awards ceremony. The environment of Mokdong Stadium, which is well-drained because it is an artificial turf, was also of great help.
According to the high school baseball regulations, if the number of pitches exceeds 45, you have to take a day off. If the game was suspended and the game was played as a suspended game, Jung Woo-joo could not have taken the mound. Therefore, Jung Woo-joo fell back to right field after filling 45 pitches, and returned to the mound at the end of the ninth inning to confirm the championship.
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"I think I was ahead of the pressure when I was shopping at E-Mart. In a way, you lost because of me. In this competition, I threw with excitement, believing in the pitchers and fielders behind me. Thanks to E-Mart's Bae and (Lee) Ho-min, our team made it to the finals. Thank you and sorry to Homin."
He played repeatedly and even unexpected second thoughts. Still, Jung Woo-joo even showed off his fire bat, hitting a double deep to the left in the top of the sixth inning. He said "It's fun to hit him. I think I served one person as a beast," he smiled.
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Now, Jung Woo-joo has another national championship, the presidential cup, and the professional baseball rookie draft. Jung Woo-joo vowed to compete in good faith, saying, `My goal is to be ranked first unconditionally. Thank you to (Deok High School) Jung Hyun-woo.'
lunarfly@sportschosun.com
