60 Years of Drama in Korean High School Baseball

Baseball is drama without a script.

The Golden Lion Championships celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. These are some of the storylines within the game.

The Fastballer-

Kyungnam Middle School (now renamed Kyungnam High School) won three straight titles since the inception of the championships in 1947. In the middle of all this was the left-handed pitcher Jang Tae-yeong (he passed away in 1999). At only 160 cm, he pitched 140kmph fastballs.

Sun Dong-ryeol Loses-

In 1980, during the 34th Championships, Park Ro-jun (now a commentator on SBS) of Sunrin Commercial High School and Sun Dong-ryeol (now the director of the Samsung Lions) of Gwangju First High School went head to head. The two were top high school players. But someone had to lose. With the score tied 3-3, Park hit a two-run homerun off of Sun and led his team to a 5-3 victory.

Song Jin-woo’s Quiet Strength-

Song Jin-woo, who was the first professional baseball player to record 200 wins as a Hanwha Eagles’ pitcher, also had his moment in the championships. As a Sekwang High School pitcher in 1982 during the 36th championships, he pitched all nine innings but lost 4-3 to Kyungnam High School. It was the first time Sekwang High School reached the finals of the tourney.

Dr. Bong and Big Choi-

The 51st championship in 1997 was the stage for Bong Joong-geun (now a pitcher for the LG Twins) of Shinil High School. He won all four of his matches and was named the Pitcher of the Year for the second year in a row that season. Bong Joong-geun went head-to-head with Choi Hee-seop (now a player for the Kia Tigers) in the finals. Choi reached third base in the ninth inning with the score tied at 7-7, but was picked off. In the bottom of the ninth, Kim Gwang-sam of LG finished the game with a game-winning hit.

The Rookie-

Lim Tae-hoon (now a pitcher for Dusan Bears) was a star pitcher for Seoul High School in the 60th championships last year. He lead his team to victory by giving up only one hit and no runs during six innings against Dongsan High School. Although the team failed to make the semifinals, Lim received a lot of attention from scouts for his fastball and changeup. He is a Dusan rookie this year, and is favored to win the Rookie of the Year award.

Others-

Jang Hyo-cho (now a scout for Samsung Lions) was a top hitter during the 27th championships in 1973 when he played for Daegu Commercial High School with a .428 batting average. Cho Seong-min (now a pitcher for Hanwha Eagles) was praised for beating Gwangju First High School 14-2 during the 45th championship in 1991.

beetlez@donga.com