Hwimun High School pitcher Kim Hwi Gun led his team to the round of 16 at the Presidential High School Baseball Tournament with a powerful pitch. His fastball topped out at 150 km/h and he overcame a weakness in his delivery.
On Aug. 4, the team defeated Ansan Industrial High School 4-1 in the second game of the Presidential Baseball Tournament at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul. The team will face Chungam High School in the round of 16 on Aug. 5 at 2 p.m. at Mokdong Stadium.
In the bottom of the first inning, Whimungo gave up the game’s first run when starter Park Sung-joon gave up an RBI double to Ahn Hee-joon with the bases loaded and two outs.안전놀이터
In the top of the second inning, Hyungmungo battled back to take a 2-1 lead after Baek Gye-ryul hit a tying RBI double and Lee Jung-jun singled to left center.
With two outs in the bottom of the third inning, Park Sung-joon walked and “ace” Kim Hwi-gun was immediately sent to the mound. Kim induced Ahn Hee-jun to ground out to third base to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Kim pitched a clean, three-hit shutout with one strikeout. In the bottom of the fifth, Kim allowed the leadoff hitter to reach on an infield error, but he easily escaped the inning with a grounder to the shortstop, a hit by pitch, and a strikeout.
In the bottom of the sixth, Kim showed his power by striking out the next two batters before ending the inning with a line drive to shortstop. With Kim on the mound, Whimungo added runs in the top of the fourth and fifth innings to take a 4-1 lead.
Kim handed the mound over to Ryu Han-jun in the bottom of the seventh to close out the game. Kim threw 3.1 innings of no-hit ball, striking out four and walking none on 43 pitches. His fastball was clocked at 150km/h on the day. His fastball was mostly in the mid-to-high 140km/h range.
Whimungo pitcher Kim Hui-gun pitches in the second game of the presidential tournament against Ansan Industrial High School at Mokdong Stadium on August 4. Photo (Mokdong)=Reporter Kim Geun-han
After the game, Kim said, “I struggled with my fastball in the first inning today. However, I was happy that both my velocity and pitches improved to a satisfactory level towards the last inning. I’m also happy with my top speed of 150km/h. I also touched 154km/h in a recent practice game, so I believe it will get better and better.”
Kim’s weakness has always been his unstable delivery. That’s why his no-hitter was even more impressive today.
“I’m focusing more on the mental part of my pitches than the technical part. I tried to develop my concentration by looking only at the mitt when throwing the ball. I’m glad I was able to show the scouts and fans what I’ve been working on with my pitches today.”
Kim was projected to be in the top three at the beginning of the year, but he has fallen off a bit in recent years, but the consensus on the field is that he has a good chance to be in the top five.
Kim said, “Jang Hyun-seok went to the United States, and other friends recently had shaky results as their restraints dropped a bit. I’ve had a bit of a hiatus, but I want to show good pitching and get a good draft order starting with this tournament. My goal has always been ‘No. 1’. My goal is to be drafted as high as possible and show my power-down pitching right from the first year.”
“I’m grateful and happy,” he smiled, referring to the various nicknames he’s been given by potential clubs, including “Lot Hwi Gun,” “Sam Hwi Gun,” and “Gah Hwi Gun.
“I haven’t been selected yet, but I’m grateful and happy to be called that. Even if I can’t go to the team with the nickname, it’s good to show my presence. I want to appeal not only to my pitching skills but also to my mentality. I am always calm regardless of the outcome, and I am confident in my fan service. I will continue to show my presence in the remaining presidential tournaments by pitching well and winning with the team.”