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| Joong Woo-joo at the interview. Reporter Kim Young-rok |
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| The 79th Blue Dragon Open National High School Baseball Championship match between Jeonju High School and Chungam High School held at Shinwol Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 7th. Jeon High School's Jung Woo-joo, who took the mound with the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, is raising his spirits. Shin Wol-dong = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.7/ |
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Will Chung Woo-joo be given the honor of the first place in this year's rookie draft. He wants to win the modifier `the best pitcher in high school baseball this year' by his own power.
Jung Woo-joo led Jeon High School to a 9-3 victory with three starts and five scoreless innings in the second round of the 79th Cheongryonggi 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) at Shinwol Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 7th.
The maximum 152km fastball from the 1m85 solid body stood out. He already recorded a fastball of 157km unofficial and 156km based on the official high school baseball game.
On this day, Jung Woo-joo took the mound with two outs in the bottom of the third inning with a 4-2 lead. He allowed a walk to the first batter, but he struck out the next batter with three pitches and began to show off his full-fledged power like 'the first overall candidate'.
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| The 79th Blue Dragon Open National High School Baseball Championship match between Jeonju High School and Chungam High School held at Shinwol Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 7th. Jeon high school Jung Woo-ju took the mound with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Shin Wol-dong = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.7/ |
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Jung Woo-joo's ball power increased as the innings went on. However, at the end of the seventh and eighth innings, he also followed the help of his colleagues. In the bottom of the seventh inning, he endured without losing a point with the defense's calm response in the crisis of second and third bases with one out, and in the bottom of the eighth inning, he faced a crisis of first and second bases with no outs with consecutive hit balls, but he struck out consecutively and put out the fire.
He was blocked by the 105 pitch limit here. Jeon High School's second-year student Kim Young-bin blocked the loss crisis, and scored five points in the top of the ninth inning to decide the game. Park Kun-woo of Chungam High School also pitched hard with three runs in six ⅓ innings, but failed to overcome the last crisis and collapsed in the ninth inning.
This year, Jung Woo-joo is showing off his skills that match the top overall ranking even when outdoor practice is limited due to the construction of the Jeonju Baseball Stadium. After the game, he smiled awkwardly, saying, `I was a little less warmed up, but I got used to the mound when I threw it.'
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| The 79th Blue Dragon Open National High School Baseball Championship match between Jeonju High School and Chungam High School held at Shinwol Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 7th. Jeon High School's Jung Woo-joo, who took the mound with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, is smiling leisurely. Shin Wol-dong = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.7/ |
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The early part of the Cheongryonggi competition is being held in Mokdong and Sinwol. An ABS (automatic ball determination system) is installed in Mok-dong, but not in Shinwol. Jung Woo-joo smiled, `It's much easier to have ABS.'
As for the help of my colleagues "There was a loud noise without realizing it. Um Jun-hyun (striker) held it well and threw it well, and Lee Han-rim (catcher) did really well," he clenched his fist.
The game is not over, but the limit on the number of pitches of 105 is tightening one step at a time. Jung Woo-joo "I couldn't control my ball because I was just ahead of my mind, but the coach "Let's throw a breaking ball because I keep getting hit with a fastball. Let's throw a curve ball (when there are 2 pitches left) and strike out."I looked back.
When asked about his goal for this tournament, he was overwhelmed. Suddenly, it seemed to have gotten bigger. He said "It's a national championship," he said emphatically.
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| The 79th Blue Dragon Open National High School Baseball Championship match between Jeonju High School and Chungam High School held at Shinwol Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 7th. Jeon High School's Jung Woo-joo, who took the mound with the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, is raising his spirits. Shin Wol-dong = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.7/ |
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Deoksu High School, led by Chung Hyun-woo, the No. 1 contender in the rookie draft, is reigning as the best team this year by winning E-Mart's Cup and the Golden Lion. On the other hand, Jung Woo-joo's high school student seems to have slowed down a bit after losing to Deoksu in the E-Mart Cup final.
"(Deok High School) Jung Hyun-woo and I are rivals, and I want to solidify my position as a top-ranked player through this competition. Through this competition, I want to set a clear line between the two of us."
lunarfly@sportschosun.com
