Coach Park Yong-taik’s Little Twins have proven their strength by holding onto the top spot for the first half of the season!
In the episode of KBS 2TV’s sports reality show ‘Our Neighborhood Baseball Captain’ aired on the 10th, the first Round 3 showdown between the Little Twins and the Little Tigers was revealed.
This match was a critical battle to determine the first-half rankings. A win for the Little Twins would secure at least a joint first place, while a win for the Little Tigers would put them in at least second. Both coaches showed their competitive spirit with intense training before the game.
Coach Na Ji-wan boosted team spirit by climbing Seoseokdae on Mudeungsan, 1,100m above sea level, with his players, while Coach Park Yong-taik focused on strengthening the catcher position, which had been seen as a team weakness.
The Little Twins took control early on. In the top of the 1st, Yoon Si-on opened the attack with a long hit, followed by Choi Jin-ho’s sacrifice play and consecutive hits from Yoo Young-bin and Min Jun-woo to score 3 runs.
Coach Park Yong-taik’s bold move in the bottom of the 1st caught everyone’s attention: starting 3rd grader Lee Ji-hyuk as the catcher. Despite his young age, Lee Ji-hyuk led a scoreless inning with stable leading and accurate throws, leaving other coaches and staff in awe, calling him a “genius.”
In the top of the 3rd, Little Tigers’ Kang Yu-han’s strong arm shone. As Choi Jin-ho rushed from second to home, left fielder Kang Yu-han made a precise throw to get the out at home. The commentators couldn’t hide their excitement, calling it the “best throw in ‘Our Neighborhood Baseball Captain’.”
The intensity of the game brought out the coaches’ emotions. Coach Na Ji-wan strongly protested a tag-out during an opponent’s home slide, leading to a rare four-umpire consultation. However, the original call stood, and the Little Twins ended their attack leading 4-1.
The Little Tigers fought back in the bottom of the 4th. With bases loaded and two outs, Kim Si-yoon’s timely hit narrowed the gap to one run, followed by Lee Seung-won’s hit to flip the game. With an additional long hit from Seo Eun-woo, the Little Tigers showed incredible focus, scoring 5 runs in that inning alone.
But the final victory belonged to the Little Twins. In the top of the 5th, Choi Jin-ho’s timely hit started the comeback, and Yoo Young-bin’s hit tied the game. Then, Kang Jun-young blasted a massive comeback home run to completely shift the momentum. After the game, Coach Park Yong-taik expressed his surprise and joy, saying, “I expected us to tie, but I didn’t know a home run would happen.”
Ultimately, the Little Twins secured a 11-6 victory, confirming their sole 1st place position for the first half. Kang Jun-young, who recorded the program’s first home run, was named ‘Baseball Captain of the Day’.
Meanwhile, ‘Our Neighborhood Baseball Captain’ is a sports variety show where KBO legends Park Yong-taik, Lee Dae-ho, Kim Tae-kyun, and Na Ji-wan personally select youth players from different regions to form teams and compete in a league. It airs every Sunday night at 9:20 PM on KBS 2TV.
