'Yankees also rejected' Ha Hyun-seung, couldn't resist the temptation of a "dimensionally different mango"... 'Mango offensive operation' led by the 12th-strikeout monster pitcher

*This content was translated by AI.

Ha Hyun-seung (18, Busan High), who turned down New York Yankees' $3 million (4.03 billion won) offer, also could not resist the temptation of local tropical fruits. It is reported that a special mango offensive operation by the U-18 national team served as the driving force behind his 12-strikeout scoreless performance in the match against Taiwan.

On the 7th, Ha Hyun-seung led the national team to victory with a 5⅔-inning, 12-strikeout scoreless performance in the first Group B match of the 14th Asian Youth Baseball Championship against Taiwan.

Ha Hyun-seung, who was courted by the Yankees, is the top prospect whose No. 1 selection in the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft scheduled for the 21st has become a foregone conclusion.

For Noh Ri-neun (CEO), aiming to reclaim the title for the first time in eight years, Taiwan was an opponent that had to be overcome without fail, and Ha Hyun-seung took on the crucial role as starting pitcher. His outstanding performance, which overwhelmed Taiwanese batters with fastballs exceeding 150 km/h and a sharp slider, hid a secret.

On the 6th, one day before the match against Taiwan, an unexpected mango party was held at the Taipei accommodation where the national team players were staying. It was a gift prepared by the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA).

It was also something Ha Hyun-seung had long desired. After completing his final local adaptation training ahead of the tournament opening, Ha Hyun-seung spoke with Kim Min-hoon (Gwangju Jinheung High) about wanting to eat mangoes. A KBSA official who overheard their conversation confirmed Ha's wish once again, and a special 'mango offensive operation' was launched.

The association official headed to a wholesale market in downtown Taipei and spent about an hour searching for mangoes. The decision was made that mangoes with guaranteed sweetness were necessary to increase the players' satisfaction. The official explained, "Among Taiwanese mangoes, Iwan mangoes are considered the best. Like apple mangoes, they have a reddish hue, strong fragrance, and intense sweetness. Since May to July is their peak season, they were difficult to find at this time of year. We finally found them after visiting five stores."

Association officials returned to the accommodation with boxes of fruit in both hands only after 10 p.m. and gathered the players. Ha Hyun-seung, who had not expected his single remark to cause such a big stir, said, "Min-hoon and I have been singing songs about wanting to eat local mangoes when we come to Taiwan since we were in Korea." He added, "We couldn't help but gain energy after eating the mangoes. Instead, I felt grateful that the association went to such lengths for us, which also created a sense of burden, so I had no choice but to pitch hard in the match against Taiwan."

Ha Hyun-seung said, "If Korean mangoes are bland, Taiwanese mangoes have flesh that feels like it's plumping up with every bite; their sweetness is on a completely different dimension." In regions with hotter climates than Korea, fruits with high sugar content, including mangoes, are famous. People who travel abroad often say, "Local fruits are on a different dimension," and netizens sometimes refer to this as the "different dimension disease." It is a meme that arose precisely because of the superior sweetness of local fruits.

Kim Min-hoon was not satisfied even after eating an extra box in addition to the one allocated per player. Park Geun-seo (Seoul Design High) laughed, saying, "The sweetness was so intense it made my tongue tingle. Min-hoon, who ultimately couldn't find any mangoes, came over to me and begged for just one more bite." Empowered by the power of mangoes, Park Geun-seo and Kim Min-hoon started on consecutive days against Singapore on the 8th and Thailand on the 9th, respectively, delivering two-inning scoreless performances.

The association is providing full support, not taking a single word from the players lightly. On the first day of their arrival in Taiwan, the 6th, after seeing the Japanese team prepare energy gels, they provided the same product to their squad. They managed to find it only after spending about two hours visiting sports specialty stores in downtown Taipei. Eom Jun-sang (Deoksu High) expressed satisfaction, saying, "When I competed after eating the energy gel, my strength was maintained well past the sixth inning until the end."

The will of Song Byung-jun, the association's vice president who is serving as team leader for the first time, has motivated the association's staff and employees to move even more proactively. Having served as vice president since last year, President Song founded Gamevil, a mobile game company well known in baseball circles, and later acquired Com2uS to obtain Major League Baseball (MLB) licensing rights, now operating a mobile game called 9 Innings in the U.S., while also eyeing expansion into the Taiwanese market, making him deeply connected to baseball.

Interest in baseball naturally leads to a virtuous cycle of supporting amateur baseball. President Song stated, "I am honored to serve as team leader. Having witnessed the grassroots of baseball in Taiwan and Japan, I have many insights." He continued, "Com2uS and the association are collaborating to contribute to the development of Korean baseball infrastructure, including high school baseball and women's baseball. We will continue to consider how we can contribute more. If our efforts helped even a little in the victory against Taiwan, we are fortunate. We hope to lend our strength, however slight, in the remaining matches."

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*This content was translated by AI.