'Hanwha 1st-round pick' commander wins national youth baseball tournament... MVP Kwon Tae-hyung: "I want to be like Moon Dong-ju"

*This content was translated by AI.

Under the leadership of Park Sang-gyu (37), a former Hanwha Eagles 1st-round pick, the Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team claimed the championship at the 6th Suncheon Gochujang Cup National Youth Baseball Tournament. In the final of the strongest league, the Youth League (U-13) Cheongryong division, they defeated Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team 7-2 and lifted the championship trophy.

Organized by the Korea Youth Baseball Federation (President Lee Sang-geun), the tournament was held from the 3rd to the 8th at Paldeok Baseball Stadium and other venues in Suncheon, North Jeolla Province, with over 3,000 participants, including players and parents from 130 teams. The competition proceeded through preliminary group stages and a final knockout tournament, with teams competing for championship cups in six divisions: Sae-sak League (U-9), Kkum-na-mu League (U-11), Youth League (U-13), and Junior League (U-16).

In the final, Daejeon Seo-gu faced Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team, the defending champion from Dongtan, Gyeonggi Province, which boasts over 60 players in its roster.

Daejeon Seo-gu took an early lead in the top of the first inning. After Lee Gyu-ha's two-run double to center field, Park Do-hyuk and Kwon Tae-hyung added consecutive hits, scoring two runs. In the bottom of the second, Hwimun Academy narrowed the gap to 1-2 with a home run to left-center field by Jo Seung-min, who was a key player in both pitching and batting.

In the top of the third, Daejeon Seo-gu extended their lead to 4-2 with Park Do-hyuk's double to left field, Kwon Tae-hyung's infield hit to the right side, and Kim Hyun-jung's RBI single to center field. In response, Hwimun Academy cut the deficit to one run in the bottom of the fourth with Park Seo-jun's single to left field and Kang Min-hyung's RBI double to left field.

Daejeon Seo-gu built a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth with Park Do-hyuk's home run to center field. In the final offensive inning of the sixth, they added three more runs through consecutive RBI singles by Kim Jae-hyun and Jang Hyun-seong, followed by an opponent's error and Kwon Tae-hyung's two-run single to right field, effectively sealing the victory. The final score was 7-2. In the bottom of the sixth, closer Lee Gyu-ha secured the championship by retiring all three opposing batters in a perfect game, including two strikeouts.

Kwon Tae-hyung (Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team), who earned the win as the starting pitcher and went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in the final, also recorded four wins, 14 innings pitched, two earned runs (ERA 0.78), and 22 strikeouts in the tournament, while batting 8-for-18 with a .444 average and six RBIs, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). Hwang Ji-hoo (Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team) and Lee Gyu-ha (Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team) won Woo Su-seon (수상).

MVP Kwon Tae-hyung stated, "Winning the Youth Cheongryong, the main league of the Korea Youth Baseball Federation, makes this victory even more meaningful. Although I received Choi U-su-seon (수상), I want to attribute this award not to myself but to all my teammates. I am especially grateful to Coach Park Sang-gyu and the coaching staff, and I also want to express my gratitude to my parents." He added, "My favorite player is Moon Dong-ju of Hanwha. I admire his smooth pitching motion and ability to throw fastballs, and I hope to emulate him. Since my jersey number is 1, I will look up to Moon Dong-ju as I pursue my dreams."

Park Sang-gyu, the head coach of Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team and a former 1st-round outfielder for Hanwha in 2008, was awarded the tournament's Best Coach honor. He said, "We lost to the strong team Hwimun Academy in the Youth Cheongryong final at the Yanggu tournament last May, so defeating them and winning this championship feels even more significant. I always emphasize the importance of polite character and diligence to the children. I believe these qualities helped the team unite and achieve such valuable results in this tournament."

He continued, "I am grateful to the parents who have dedicated themselves to and supported the Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team, and I also want to thank Coach Ahn Hoon-gi for his hard work in guiding the children's growth. Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude to the Daejeon City Baseball and Softball Association for supporting the team's training, and to Lee Sang-geun (Chairman) and the federation officials for organizing this tournament so that our children can enjoy baseball to the fullest."

Lee Sang-geun, President of the Korea Youth Baseball Federation, said, "With the beautiful weather, the children played wonderfully, and I want to praise them. The tournament brought together players dreaming of becoming excellent athletes and children who play baseball as a hobby that aids their studies, creating a joyful atmosphere. I am grateful to Suncheon County Mayor Choi Young-il and the officials of the Suncheon County Sports Promotion Office for preparing an excellent tournament every year, to the extent that Suncheon comes to mind whenever baseball is mentioned. I also thank the people of Suncheon County for their wholehearted support in making this a successful event. We will do our best to expand the base of youth baseball and contribute to the local economy."

This tournament was sponsored by North Jeolla Province, Suncheon County, Suncheon COLONY Meat Association, SOOP, and baseball equipment company Storm Baseball. In particular, two games, including the Youth League (U-13) Cheongryong final, were broadcast live on SOOP with commentary by caster So Dae-soo and former professional baseball legend An Kyung-hyun.

● Sae-sak League (U-9) ▲ Championship – Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team (Coach Heo Yoon) ▲ Runner-up – Chungnam Cheonan City Youth Baseball Team (Coach Hwang Min-ho) ▲ MVP Kim Do-jun (Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team)

● Kkum-na-mu League (U-11) Cheongryong ▲ Championship – Sejong City Youth Baseball Team (Coach Jang Jae-hyeok) ▲ Runner-up – Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Young-joo) ▲ MVP Kang Ha-dam (Sejong City Youth Baseball Team)

● Kkum-na-mu League (U-11) Hyeonmu ▲ Championship – Jeonnam Wando County Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Jung-yeop) ▲ Runner-up – Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Sang-gyu) ▲ MVP Son Seung-min (Jeonnam Wando County Youth Baseball Team)

● Youth League (U-13) Cheongryong ▲ Championship – Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Sang-gyu) ▲ Runner-up – Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Young-joo) ▲ MVP Kwon Tae-hyung (Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team)

● Youth League (U-13) Baekho ▲ Championship – Gyeonggi Icheon City Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Cheol-woo) ▲ Runner-up – Gyeonggi KT Wiz Youth Baseball Team (Coach Seol Jeong-ho) ▲ MVP Kwon Hyo-min (Gyeonggi Icheon City Youth Baseball Team)

● Junior League (U-16) ▲ Championship – Sejong Inter Middle (Coach Im Dong-jin) ▲ Runner-up – Daegu Daeseong County BC (Coach Lee Sang-hak) ▲ MVP Gong Jeong-min (Sejong Inter Middle)

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*This content was translated by AI.