Ansan Industrial High School rose to the throne of the presidential ship and relieved its 24-year-old resentment.
Ansan High School won the national championship trophy for the first time since its foundation by beating Chungam High School 5-4 in the 58th Presidential Cup National High School Baseball Championship (hosted by the JoongAng Ilbo and the Korea Baseball Softball Association) held at Pohang Baseball Stadium in North Gyeongsang Province on the 3rd.먹튀검증
The Ansan Technical High School baseball team, which was founded in November 2000, has never advanced to the finals of a national championship before. It was the best record in the presidential cup as well, as it advanced to the semifinals two years ago. However, the team caused a stir by defeating the favorite, Deoksu High School, in the quarterfinals this year by 13-3 with a cold game in the fifth inning. It also defeated Gwangju Jeil High School, a strong team, 3-1 in the semifinals. Eventually, it continued its upward trajectory in the final, and rose to the top of the national championship.
Third-year ace Park Sang-hyun swept the MVP award and outstanding pitcher award, becoming the first national competition MVP produced by Ansan Technical High School. Notably, Park’s fighting spirit shone in the final match, which ended with a one-run gap. Park Sang-hyun, the starting pitcher on the day, pitched 88 pitches during five innings, allowing five hits, seven strikeouts, and two runs, before changing his position to the first baseman from the sixth inning to prepare for a relief appearance in the second half of the game. When Ansan Technical High School faced a crisis of losing the bases with no outs in the eighth inning, he put down the first baseman’s mitts and returned to the mound.
Park Sang-hyun later pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, completing 17 pitches that remained until the limit of the number of pitches (105) in a high school baseball game. When he threw his last strike after one out in the ninth inning and entered the dugout, he was applauded even hotter than the heatwave of the day.
“Park Sang-hyun threw the ball with all his strength. Thank you for making me cry,” said Song Won-guk, manager of Ansan Technical High School. “I was sad that I didn’t finish the game until the end, but I believed that the remaining pitchers and fielders would keep the victory well,” Park said. “It’s great to have won the championship for the first time in my life. I’m so happy that I can’t say anything about it.”
Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG Landers), the best star produced by Ansan Technical High School, was also delighted to win his alma mater’s first championship. In April 2006, when he was a junior at Ansan Technical High School, he struck out 19 in 8 2/3 innings in the round of 16 best teams in the presidential competition against Kyungdong High School. “I watched all of the high school baseball games from start to finish for the first time in a long time,” Kim said. “I was even more pleased that my juniors won the championship after a close race,” Kim said. “Personally, the semifinals of the national championship were the best in high school, but I think they had a very valuable experience.”
This year’s presidential competition was held in Pohang City in cooperation with local governments as part of efforts for balanced national development. “We are happy that the competition full of youth and passion will be held in Pohang,” said Jang Sang-gil, vice mayor of Pohang City, who was in charge of the first pitch of the final. “We will continue to host many competitions so that players can fulfill their dreams and talents in Pohang City.”