Gunsan Sangil High School’s Jeong Min-sung (18) won the MVP of the President’s Cup.
Gunsan Sangil won the 57th Presidential Baseball Tournament at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul on Thursday with an 11-10 walk-off victory in the final against Incheon High School. Ace Jung Min-sung was named the tournament’s MVP and best pitcher.
The Gunsan Sangil High School ace pitched in three games (12⅔ innings) at the tournament, going 3-0 with a 2.92 ERA. He also struck out 18 batters. In the semifinals against Gyeonggi-do, he made two appearances and picked up the win, allowing two runs on three hits in 4⅓ innings with three walks and two strikeouts. However, after throwing 85 pitches in the semifinals, he was unable to pitch in the final.
In a postgame interview, Jung said, “I think I was able to come this far and get this award because my teammates scored well and played good defense. When I won, I was so excited that I almost cried. I felt like I was going to cry when the final out came and I saw my friends working so hard,” he said.
Jung Min-sung, who was unable to pitch in the final due to pitch count restrictions, said, “I wanted to throw a lot in the final, but I couldn’t, so when I saw my friends playing, I tried to fight hard on the bench and cheer them on to win. It was a tough game today, but I felt like we would win because we are a horse attack,” he laughed.
Coach Seok Soo-cheol, who led Gunsan Sangil High to victory, said, “Jung Min-sung had a role to play and did a great job. He didn’t play in the final, but he trusted the other players. The other team was also without an ace. I don’t know what would have happened if we had aces, but I think that’s what baseball is all about.”
Jung Min-sung, who saved his team from defeat in the semifinals with two appearances in one game, said, “I threw with the idea that it wasn’t over at that point, so let’s stop it here. I was tired after pitching twice, but I didn’t realize it when I threw,” he said of his semifinal performance.
“I want to eat beef for dinner tonight,” said Jung, who smiled, “I thought I was going to win the best pitcher award, but I didn’t expect to win the MVP, so I’m really happy.” “With the rookie draft coming up, my goal is to be drafted as high as possible and become a pitcher who can establish myself in the first team,” he said.
Meanwhile, Park Chan-woo was honored for his game-winning hit in the final. Incheon High ace Kim Taek-yeon, who finished as runner-up, was honored with the Gamtoo Award. Park Sung-bin (Gunsan Sangil High School), Jeon Mir (Gyeongbuk High School), Lim Kyu-young (Incheon High School), Yoon Chan (Bukil High School), Park Si-hyun (Gyeonggi Sang High School), Seok Soo-cheol (Manager), Lee Hong-chan (Gunsan Sangil High School), and Lim Young-geun (Gunsan Sangil High School) were the other winners. 토토사이트