Bae Chan-seung (18), left-hander of Daegu High School, enhanced his presence with impressive pitching in the youth team. He pitched three ⅔ innings with seven strikeouts and no runs at the maximum speed of 151 km per hour, overwhelming the Taiwanese batters.메이저사이트
The under-18 youth baseball team, led by Busan High School coach Park Gye-won, lost 0-1 to Taiwan in the first game of Group A of the 13th Asian Youth Baseball Championship held in Tianmu-gu, Taipei, Taiwan on the 2nd (Korea Standard Time).
In the order of Park Jae-hyun (right wing), Oh Jae-won (center fielder), Yeom Seung-won (first baseman), Park Joon-soon (second baseman), Shim Jae-hoon (third baseman), Lee Won-joon (left wing), Soo-ho (designated hitter), Lee Yul-ye (catcher), and Bae Seung-soo (striker), left-hander Jung Hyun-woo made the start.
Chung Hyun-woo, who is likely to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 KBO Rookie Draft, which will take place on the 11th, threw 49 pitches during two ⅓ innings, allowing two hits, one walk, four strikeouts, and one run. However, he lost the game due to the silence of the lineup, which had only two scattered hits.
Left-hander Bae Chan-seung’s good pitching after Chung Hyun-woo shone. When Chung Hyun-woo allowed the first run in the bottom of the third inning with one out and a bases-loaded walk caused by a double, a hit, and a hit ball, Bae Chan-seung was put in. Bae Chan-seung struck out swinging and grounded out to first base to clear the bases-loaded crisis without additional runs.
He gave up one hit and one walk each in the bottom of the fourth inning, but managed to overcome the crisis by stealing two strikeouts. Bae had a double in the bottom of the fifth inning, but managed to get out the rest of the three batters, including a strikeout at the base of the sixth inning, except for one hit. He struck out two swinging and one strikeout at the base of the sixth inning.
Korea lost 0-1 in the top of the seventh inning by failing to score a point, but Bae’s scoreless pitching of three ⅔ innings, including three hits, one walk and seven strikeouts, was sufficient. With a total of 71 pitches, he garnered four strikeouts by rookie players, but his fastballs and sliders penetrating the right-handed batters’ bodies shone through. Above all, his pitches reaching the maximum speed of 151 km per hour in Taiwan were impressive. He kept throwing fastballs in the late 140 km range.
Bae stood out early enough to be selected as a member of the youth national team from last year when he was a sophomore. With left-hander Chung Hyun-woo and right-hander Chung Woo-joo (Jeonju High School) competing for the No. 1 ranking this year, Bae was expected to see his draft ranking drop due to his poor performance compared to last year.
However, he displayed strong pitching from his first appearance at the championship, signaling a rise in stock prices. While Kiwoom and Hanwha, who hold the first and second positions in the first round, are expected to share Chung Hyeon-woo and Jung Woo-joo, Samsung, which has the third position, is agonizing over the decision. Gwangju Jeil High School left-hander Kim Tae-hyun and Deoksu High School right-hander Kim Tae-hyung have been selected as Samsung’s third-choice candidates, but as Bae Chan-seung has rebounded, he has expanded his options. Bae Chan-seung could be a more attractive choice for Samsung, given that he belongs to Daegu High School and plays in a region where he is affiliated.
Kim will likely make the decision after watching not only Bae Chan-seung but also other players’ performances in the remaining games. Kim Tae-hyung is also included in the upcoming youth team. Kim Tae-hyun, the only high school player selected for the U-23 World Baseball Championship in Hangzhou, China, is preparing for the tournament that will begin on June 6.
Meanwhile, Korea is in Group A with Taiwan, Pakistan, and Thailand at the Asian Youth Baseball Championship, which will involve eight Asian countries. In Group B, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka will compete. The second-ranked team in each group will advance to the Super Round, and the top two teams in overall performance will have the final match, combining their opponent teams’ records in the preliminary round and their performance in the Super Round. After playing the group league until April 4, the team will take a day off from May 5, and will have the Super Round on May 6-7, the final match on May 8, and the third place match.
South Korea, which is seeking its sixth career championship in six years since the Miyazaki event in Japan in 2018, suffered one loss due to the loss against Taiwan, but is seeking its first win against Thailand at 7:30 p.m. on the 3rd. Then, at 2:30 p.m. on the 4th, it will decide whether to advance to the Super Round with the last preliminary match against Pakistan.