[Anchor]
Ha Hyun-seung, who is projected as the number one overall pick in this year's professional baseball rookie draft, showcased incredible pitching power in the opening match of the U-18 Asian Baseball Championship. Displaying a fastball that ranks at the highest level among left-handers even if he entered the pros right now, he pitched a scoreless gem while racking up 12 strikeouts.
Bae Jeonghun has the report.
[Reporter]
Swung through repeatedly by Taiwanese batters, the air is cut by blistering fastballs reaching up to 153 km/h delivered from his towering 195 cm frame.
His 56 fastballs averaged 147.9 km/h, which is over 1 km/h faster than Lotte's Kim Jin-wook, who currently holds the top average speed among domestic left-handed starting pitchers in the KBO League.
Adding sliders hovering around 140 km/h and changeups breaking away from right-handed batters to his arsenal, Ha pitched a scoreless masterpiece, recording 12 of his 17 outs via strikeouts before being pulled with two outs in the 6th inning.
It was a dominant performance that saw 18 of the 35 swings taken by Taiwanese batters result in misses.
Having turned down overtures from big league clubs such as the New York Yankees to remain in the KBO League, Ha is virtually certain to wear the uniform of Kiwoom, which holds the number one overall selection in next month's rookie draft.
He expressed his determination to lead the national team to a championship on his final stage before his professional debut.
[Ha Hyun-seung / U-18 National Baseball Team Pitcher : I will prepare well so that I can keep this momentum going and continue to contribute to the team if I take the mound in another important game.]
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Captain Eom Jun-sang, who joined the Arizona Diamondbacks in Major League Baseball, also stood out.
He prevented an opening run with a big-league-caliber stellar defensive play in the 1st inning, and after taking the mound in the 6th, he earned a save by displaying exceptional pick-off skills and strikeout ability.
Securing virtually first place in their group thanks to the two players' performances, our national team continues its quest for its first championship in 8 years.
(Video Editing: Lee Jae-sung, Design: Han Heung-soo)
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