adminUltra-high school pitcher Jang Hyun-seok, “My chances of going to MLB are 5 to 5… Decision after the Blue Dragon Period”
“San Diego Darvish a source of inspiration”
“Go Woo-seok, Jung Woo-young and Moon Dong-joo meet, first to do ’90-degree greeting'”
As if to confirm the will of Jang Hyun-seok, the ‘biggest name in high school baseball’, the round of 32 of the Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship between Masan Yongmago and Gwangju Jeongango was played in two days of suspenseful games, alternating between heavy rain and heat.
From the second out of the second inning yesterday to the fifth inning today, Jang Hyun-seok pitched 3.1 innings and 6K without allowing a run. Energised, Masan Yongmago tied the game at 1-1 with two outs in the ninth inning and came from behind in extra innings to defeat Gwangju Promotion 4-1 to advance to the round of 16.
Faced with an 8am start time and back-to-back starts, Jang Hyun-seok pitched a scoreless first inning today. He gave up back-to-back singles and doubles to Gwangju Jinhungo batters to put runners on second and third with no outs, but he got out of the jam with a strikeout, infield fly and ground ball.
With Jang Hyun-seok revealing that he will decide whether to go to Major League Baseball (MLB) after the Cheongnyonggi, interest in his every word is growing. “I’m not lying, I haven’t made a decision yet,” he told KBS reporters after the game, “I’m putting the odds at five to five, and I’m focusing on the Cheongryonggi, which is one of the few remaining opportunities to be with my friends.”
While he nodded to meetings with some MLB clubs, he declared “no comment” when asked about the content of those conversations.
In his recent games, Jang has shown an active changeup. In particular, he has been using a slider with a large angle, both horizontally and vertically. Yesterday’s fastball topped out at 154km/h and today’s at 151km/h, but he was able to get strikeouts and walks with his slider at key moments.
Jang Hyun-seok’s biggest inspiration is Japanese national team member Darvish Yu, who is also considered a ‘slider master’. In particular, Jang Hyun-seok referenced not only the pitch but also the pitching form, saying, “I used the ‘short arm’ motion, which is a short and fast trajectory of the right arm while throwing the ball, and the rotation of the body.”
Jang, who is set to become the “first high school player to represent his country at the Hangzhou Asian Games,” named LG closer Ko Woo-seok, Pilseung-jo Jung Woo-young and Hanwha starter Moon Dong-ju as his favourite players to meet. “When I meet them, the first thing I’ll do is give them a ’90-degree greeting,'” he laughed, adding, “They are the best seniors in their respective positions, so I want to absorb all their strengths.”
Unlike on the mound, where he was a beast, off the field, Jang Hyun-seok was a shy 19-year-old high school student born in 2004.
When asked about the controversy over his ‘shhh’ gesture towards the opposing bench during the previous game, he said, “It wasn’t directed at the coach, but at the players of Gwangju Gwangyang High School, who I know and have friends and siblings with,” adding, “I’m close enough to work out with (Lee) Sang-jun, who was the starting pitcher. We spoke on the phone yesterday.”메이저사이트
Speaking about his personality, Jang Hyun-seok said, “When I’m playing, I’m a little rough, but off the field, I’m the exact opposite,” and added, “I’ll try to make sure that you can see a lot of sincerity and goodness in my everyday life.” He concluded with a message for his fans.