Gunsan Sangil High School scored a dramatic walk-off hit to win the final, but the game left something to be desired.
Gunsan Sangil High School defeated Incheon High School in the final of the 57th Presidential Baseball Tournament at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul on Thursday, winning the title with an 11-10 walk-off win. It was the team’s first title in 37 years since 1986 and its fourth overall.
This is the 12th time Gunsan Sangil High School has won the national championship, and the first time in 10 years since the 2013 Bonghwang Daejeon championship. Incheon Go, which was looking to win its first title in 19 years since 2004, had to settle for its second runner-up finish since 1985.
The game was fiercely contested. Incheon scored three runs in the top of the first inning to take the lead, but Gunsan Sangil responded with a run in the bottom of the first. Incheon scored one run in the top of the third, but Gunsan Sangil scored two runs in the bottom of the third and two more in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. Incheon tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the sixth, but Gunsan Sangil scored four runs in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead. Incheon scored one run in the top of the seventh and Gunsan Sangil scored one run in the bottom of the seventh.
Incheon scored four runs in the top of the eighth to tie the game at 10-10. However, Gunsan Sangsang Ilgo ended the long game in the bottom of the ninth inning when Park Chan-woo hit an RBI single.
Looking at the score, it may seem like a very hard-hitting final, but the reality was different: both teams had 25 hits on the day, with 32 four-ball strikes. There were also two errors, which stretched the game to over four hours.
The reason this game was so close was because neither team had an ace available. Incheon is anchored by ace Kim Taek-yeon, who is expected to be the No. 2 overall pick in the rookie draft in September, but he was unable to pitch in the final because he threw 105 pitches in the semifinals against Gyeongbuk University on Dec. 12, allowing one run on four hits in 7⅓ innings with one walk and nine strikeouts.
The same goes for Gunsan Sang-il. Jung Min-sung, who won the tournament’s MVP and Most Valuable Pitcher awards, was unable to pitch in the final because he threw 85 pitches in the semifinals against Gyeonggi Go on Dec. 12, his second appearance in a game, allowing two runs on three hits in 4⅓ innings with three walks and four strikeouts.
The Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) introduced a maximum pitch limit in 2014 and has steadily expanded its pitch limit rules to protect pitchers. Since 2018, the maximum number of pitches per game has been capped at 105, with mandatory rest days based on pitch count. 메이저놀이터
While the idea of protecting young pitchers is understandable, it has led to a number of situations where ace pitchers have been unable to pitch in the finals. Baseball figures who visited the baseball stadium to watch the finals on this day were also disappointed to see an abnormally high number of four-pitch games, saying, “Doesn’t it make sense to not have an ace in the finals?” To solve this situation, the pitch count limit rule should be relaxed from the fourth round of the tournament or the
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