*This content was translated by AI.
The powerful pitching of Kwak Do-hyun (18, Busan High School), who led the Republic of Korea's U-18 national baseball team to the finals, carried a lingering regret for not taking the mound in the matches against Taiwan and Japan.
Kwak Do-hyun made his first start in the second match of the Super Round against the Philippines at the Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan, on the 12th during the 2026 Asian Baseball Federation (BFA) Youth Baseball Championship. He pitched 4⅔ innings, allowing one hit with no walks and recording 11 strikeouts without surrendering a run, leading South Korea to a 6-0 victory.
With this, Korea, which has won all five matches in the tournament, secured its spot in the final first. The team led by Jung Yun-jin, aiming to reclaim the Asian title for the first time in eight years, will compete for the gold medal against the winner of the Taiwan-Japan match in the final on the 13th.
Kwak Do-hyun's pitching was overwhelming. After allowing a single to Julian Garcia Cruz with two outs in the first inning, he did not allow any further baserunners. He then retired 12 consecutive batters, recording 11 strikeouts out of 14 total outs. His pitch count was just 58. Kwak Do-hyun said after the game, "I am glad I could throw the ball without shame while wearing the Taegeuk mark."
A hit in the first inning that barely missed and a failure to fill the bases in the fifth inning remain as regrets. Kwak Do-hyun said, "I didn't aim for a perfect game, but I thought I should give up as few runs as possible and prevent hits. However, a Texas hit suddenly appeared from the first inning." He added, "(An) Woo-seok almost caught it, which made me even more regretful. While icing, I checked the scoreboard and saw only one hit recorded."
He did not blame his teammate. Kwak Do-hyun smiled, saying, "I want to tell him it's okay since he tried his best and just missed the catch. It wasn't because he didn't try to catch it." He added that on the way back to their lodging, he was planning to buy something for his teammate at a convenience store.
He added, "I thought I would be taken out after getting just one batter in the fifth inning, but since no substitution signal came, I secretly felt excited, thinking, 'Can I keep pitching?' Then, after getting two batters and a timeout coming in, I realized, 'This is it.'" Nevertheless, he explained, "But I still pitched more than four innings and handed over to (Yoon) Ye-seong before leaving, so I am satisfied."
The 11 strikeouts carried special emotions. Kwak Do-hyun said, "I wanted to step up for the Japan or Taiwan games in my own way, but I couldn't because my abilities were still lacking. Still, I am grateful that I was able to pitch today and happy that I recorded many strikeouts."
Especially after not playing in the match against Japan, he felt a strong sense of regret. Kwak Do-hyun said, "For the Taiwan game, I somewhat expected that Ha Hyun-seung would block me since he was performing so well. For the Japan game, I thought I might get to pitch, but ultimately I couldn't throw." He added, "My team comes first, so I was happy with my teammates, but once I returned to the dormitory, I felt quite disappointed. It wasn't to the point of tears, but I realized, 'I am still lacking. I need to do more.'"
That emotion became the motivation for preparing for the Philippines match. There was also the burden of continuing an undefeated streak. Kwak Do-hyun said, "I heard from the coach yesterday (11th) that I would start. Since we have been winning continuously, I thought we couldn't break the momentum. I had heard it was a team that plays quite well, so I felt a bit nervous." He added, "When pitching at school, even if I received notice of starting the day before, I could pitch with confidence, but as a national representative, I felt more nervous because any mistake would be seen by the entire nation."
Still, on the mound, he pushed forward with his strengths as they are. Kwak Do-hyun emphasized, "Taking bold risks is my strength. I am still lacking compared to (Eom) Jun-sang, but I am working hard to overcome that. I do not shy away from taking risks."
Joining the national team has become another learning experience for Kwak Do-hyun. He drew inspiration from living and training alongside top players of his generation, including Ha Hyun-seung (Busan High), Kim Min-hoon (Gwangju Jinheung High), and Eom Jun-sang (Deoksu High). Kwak said, "I saw many plays that I had never seen in our team. It felt like rediscovering baseball that I had forgotten." He added, "(Ha) Hyun-seung handles games very smoothly, (Kim) Min-hoon makes great stops even in difficult situations, and (Eom) Jun-sang is incredibly powerful. There is much to learn from each player."
The path to earning his first Taeguk mark was not smooth. He began playing baseball in the fourth grade of elementary school and started pitching seriously from the first year of middle school, but shoulder issues forced him to spend most of his first and second years of middle school in rehabilitation. In his third year of middle school, he even underwent surgery on the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of his right elbow. His first year of high school was also spent largely in rehabilitation, and in his second year, he pitched only around 10 innings. He finally took to the mound properly as a senior in high school.
But that was enough. Based on the standards of the Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA), Kwak Do-hyun, who possesses a robust physique with a height of 195 cm and a weight of 100 kg, is evaluated as a strong candidate for a first-round pick in the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft. Leveraging his solid control, he has consistently been mentioned among scouts since last year, armed with a fastball clocked at an unofficial top speed of 152 km/h and officially at 150 km/h, along with a slider featuring sharp break.
Kwak Do-hyun recalled, "I had surgery around July or August of my third year in middle school. At the time, I knew nothing; I just thought I needed to throw harder. I didn't know how to strengthen my body." He added, "I thought icing was enough, but when I went to the hospital, they told me my ligament was damaged by about 80%." He further said, "I decided to work hard to regain strength, go to Busan High School, eat well there, and become a king here to show it off."
After enduring a long rehabilitation, he has become a pitcher who earned 11 strikeouts on the mound at an international tournament while wearing the national emblem. When asked how many points out of 10 he would give himself for this tournament, Kwak Do-hyun replied, "Seven out of 10. I still lack ability, which is why I couldn't pitch against Taiwan and Japan. However, since my performance in the tournament wasn't poor, I'd like to give myself around seven points," he said with a bright smile.
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*This content was translated by AI.
