“Any other player would have been intimidated….”
Gyeonggi Sangsang Sanggo scored a big comeback win. Gyeonggi Sangsang Sanggo won the eighth inning cold game 9-2 in the 78th Cheongnyonggi National High School Baseball Championship and Weekend League Wangjungwang Game (co-hosted by Chosun Ilbo, Sports Chosun, and the Korea Baseball Softball Association) at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul, South Korea.
Until the sixth inning, things were not looking good for Gyeonggi Sangsang Sanggo. Despite receiving 11 four-pitch at-bats from Daejeon JeilGo starting pitcher Park Sang-yeon, they were unable to get a single hit and were held to a no-hitter. The tide seemed to be turning in Daejeon’s favor as each chance was met with cold water.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Gyeonggi Sangsang Sanggo had another chance. Leadoff hitter Park Si-hyun reached on a fielding error, and Shin Seung-min was hit by a pitch.
Gyeonggi Sang Sang Sang replaced the pitcher with Choi Jun-hyuk.
Two runs down. Gyeonggi Sang Sang Sang signed for a sacrifice bunt to the third batter, Lee Dong-yoon, but the bunt was unsuccessful and the runners moved to second and third. With the bases loaded, Lee was able to draw a walk on a full count.
A wild pitch by Lee Dong-yoon and a subsequent wild pitch by Lee Seo-joon tied the game at 2-2, and Gyeonggi Sang Sang took the lead with Han Ji-yoon’s first hit. Gyeonggi Sang Sang went on to score six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Lee Dong-yoon, who calmly took advantage of the opportunity in the sixth inning, drove in the winning run in the seventh inning. He took advantage of the first pitch from the new pitcher, Park Jun-pyo, and smashed it over the right field fence. After scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Gyeonggi Sang Sang Go secured the win with a cold game.
After the game, Gyeonggi Sangsung University head coach Choi Deok-hyun praised Lee Dong-yoon. He said, “Lee Dong-yoon failed to bunt, but he held on to his mental strength and got the run. A home run is a home run, but even after the failed bunt, you could see the determination he had to do it, and that was the moment when our team was able to overcome the crisis. If it was any other player, he would have been intimidated, but he tried to overcome it, and that’s why we were able to come back, and he even hit a good home run at the end.” 메이저놀이터
Lee Dong-yoon added, “I had a bad first half, so I prepared a lot in the second half. I was in a situation where I really needed to get a bunt down, but I didn’t. From then on, I just had to filter out the pitches and hit them when they were in the strike zone.” “As for the home run situation, I hit a similar pitch for a home run in a recent practice game. It was a changeup, so I thought it was going to be a fastball, and I was trying not to miss the first pitch. Luckily, the ball came and I took my swing.”
His role model is SSG Shin-Soo Choo. “I used to read a lot of books, and he seems to have good self-management and a lot of effort. As I am a left-handed outfielder, I watched him a lot. I also heard that their body types are similar, so I think that’s why I liked him more.”
When asked about his ‘strengths,’ Lee said, “I think I’m a one-hit wonder. I’ve been told since I was young that I play baseball beautifully. Above all, I think my strength is that I always play baseball with a positive attitude.”