'1R Draft Candidate' Park Geun-seo: 3 Scoreless Innings; Lee Ho-min Drives in 3 Runs with 3 Hits, Explosive Performance! U-18 Korean National Team Comes from Behind to Defeat Ulsan 6-2 [Ulsan On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Led by head coach Jung Yun-jin (55), the South Korean U-18 youth national baseball team secured a satisfying first victory against a professional team. Park Geun-seo (18, Seoul Design High School) and Lee Ho-min (18, Gyeongnam High School), both candidates for the first round of the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft, led their team to victory with outstanding pitching and hitting as expected.

The youth national team came from behind to defeat the Ulsan Whales 6-2 in an exhibition match held at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium on the 27th.

Coach Jung, who took charge of the youth national team for the first time in 13 years, conducted his first training session on the 26th at Busan Gijang Ballpark. This day marked the first practice game; following this, the national team will play a total of five practice matches against NC Dinos Futures Team, Lotte Giants Futures Team, Pusan National University of Science and Technology, and Dong-A University of Science and Technology before departing for Taiwan on September 5 for the decisive tournament.

The national team will compete in the 14th Asian Youth Baseball Championship, held from September 7 to 13 in Taipei, Taiwan. Having been placed in Group B with Taiwan, Singapore, and Thailand, South Korea aims to claim its first championship title in eight years since the 2018 tournament led by Won Tae-in (Samsung Lions) and Kim Chang-pyeong (SSG Landers).

Team captain Eom Jun-sang (18, Deoksu High School), who has confirmed his signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB), was appointed. Eom will play both as a starting shortstop and take the mound. Ha Hyun-seung (18, Busan High School), a top overall draft candidate who turned down a $3 million offer from the New York Yankees, will focus exclusively on pitching in this tournament. Additionally, Kim Ji-woo (18, Seoul High School), another two-way player, voluntarily withdrew due to physical condition issues, leaving the team with only six pitchers.

The turning point came in the bottom of the 7th inning when the national team trailed 1-2. Leadoff hitter Jo Hee-sung used his speed to hit a ground ball toward second base, resulting in an infield single. A throwing error by the opposing second baseman allowed him to reach second base. An Woo-seok then bunted for a hit, loading the bases with no outs. Hwang Sung-hyun followed with a massive two-run double that struck the left-field wall, giving the team a 3-2 comeback lead.

Earlier, Eom Jun-sang had drawn three walks to create another scoring opportunity with no outs and runners on first and third via a bunt single. Lee Ho-min then drove in two more runs with a two-run triple off pitcher Park Sung-woong. A high-bouncing grounder hit the first baseman's glove and deflected, allowing Lee Ho-min to score, making it 6-2.

Starting pitcher Park Geun-seo (18, Seoul Design High School) delivered an efficient performance against a professional team, pitching three scoreless innings without issuing any walks or strikeouts. Despite entering the game after a 30-minute rain delay, he retired many batters with just 34 pitches. Even in the biggest crisis of the bottom of the second inning—two outs and runners on first and third—he escaped by inducing a ground ball to second base without allowing a run. Kim Min-hoon, who came in as the final pitcher, also showcased powerful stuff over 1⅔ innings with two hits allowed, no walks, three strikeouts, and zero runs.

Among position players, Lee Ho-min shined brilliantly, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, leveraging his experience as the third hitter for Gyeongnam High School. After a disappointing double play in the first inning, he delivered timely hits in every scoring opportunity. Eom Jun-sang also demonstrated stable defense at shortstop and reached base three times on one hit, two walks, and one hit-by-pitch.

Challenges also emerged. This tournament uses the Bretz BR-100, an official ball used in Taiwanese amateur baseball, which has smaller stitching and a smaller size compared to the balls used in South Korean high school baseball, requiring pitchers to adapt. Second pitcher Kwak Do-hyeon (18, Busan High School) failed to utilize his usual strengths, pitching two innings with three hits allowed, one walk, one strikeout, and two earned runs, leaving much to be desired.

The national team lineup was configured as follows: Kang In-kyu (second baseman), Hwang Sung-hyun (right fielder), Eom Jun-sang (shortstop), Lee Ho-min (first baseman), Woo Ju-ro (designated hitter), Park Bo-seung (left fielder), Nam Hyun-woo (third baseman), Won Ji-woo (catcher), and Jo Hee-sung (center fielder). The starting pitcher was Park Geun-seo.

Ulsan countered with the following lineup: Park Jae-hyung (left fielder), Lee Min-seok (first baseman), Kim Seo-won (right fielder), Ye Jin-won (designated hitter), Kim Si-wan (center fielder), Noh Kang-min (third baseman), Min Sung-woo (catcher), Shin Jun-woo (shortstop), and Park Moon-soon (second baseman). The starting pitcher was Lee Seung-geun.

The national team's offense struggled to score early. In the top of the first inning with one out and a runner on first, Lee Ho-min hit into a double play. In the top of the second inning with two outs and runners on first and second, Jo Hee-sung singled through the middle, but runner Park Bo-seung was thrown out at home plate, nullifying the scoring opportunity.

In the top of the third inning, Eom Jun-sang drew a walk after a full count, and Lee Ho-min capitalized on an error by the opposing shortstop who failed to field the ball due to overlapping positions with the left fielder, creating scoring opportunities at second and third base. However, Woo Ju-ro struck out swinging, failing to score.

Ultimately, the lead was surrendered. Kwak Do-hyeon, who entered in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out, allowed a three-run triple by Kim Seo-won that struck the left-center field wall. When Ye Jin-won hit a high-bouncing grounder to first base, Kim Seo-won scored from third, making it 0-1.

The national team quickly tied the game. In the top of the fifth inning, after Jo Hee-sung drew a walk and stole second base, followed by Eom Jun-sang drawing a walk to load the bases with two outs, Lee Ho-min hit a one-run single through the middle, tying the score at 1-1.

However, Ulsan regained the lead. In the bottom of the fifth inning with one out, Kwak Do-hyeon allowed an infield single by Min Sung-woo and a two-run double to left-center field by Shin Jun-woo. A diving catch attempt by third baseman Nam Hyun-woo resulted in the ball hitting his glove and deflecting, which was unfortunate. Kwak Do-hyeon then walked the bases loaded and gave up one run on a wild pitch. However, he retired Bae Young-bin with a looking strikeout, preventing further runs.

The national team succeeded in scoring five runs during their final offensive inning in the bottom of the seventh, and the game ended as heavy rain poured down once again.

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*This content was translated by AI.