“I watched for four hours without washing.”
The game between Mulmungo and ChungamGo at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 20th of this month. Mulmungo gave up 11 runs in the top of the third inning to fall to 1-11. The deficit was deep. At this rate, they could have lost the cold game in the fifth inning.
But then a miracle happened. After rallying with seven runs in the bottom of the fourth, Mulgungo scored five runs in the fifth to turn the tide. Mulmungo then added one more run in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure a 14-12 come-from-behind victory and advance to the quarter-finals.
A game that surprised everyone. There was one person who watched this unscripted drama with bated breath for four hours via internet broadcast. It was Mulmulgo senior Kim Young-woong. Kim, who joined the Samsung Lions in 2022, was the first professional player to be drafted by Mulgeongo, which was founded in 2015. Even after his professional career, he kept in touch with his alma mater by watching their games.
This day was no different. Even though he was drenched in sweat after training, Kim put off showering to watch his juniors compete. He stayed seated for four hours and watched with bated breath. In a phone interview with us, he recalled that the drama of the juniors’ reversals gave him “goosebumps.”
The current crop of Mulgungo players were freshmen when Kim was a star infielder at Mulgungo. “(Gong) Min-seo, (Go) Seung-hyun, (Kang) Do-kyung, and so on,” he says, listing the names of the junior players, “They are all tenacious and full of fight. I was really proud to see them turn it around and win the game, even though it was a 10-point deficit.” He was so happy that he contacted the players after the game and sent them pocket money.
Mulmungo didn’t stop there, defeating prestigious Chung-Ang University in the quarter-finals to reach the semi-finals. After a rain delay on the 22nd, Mulmungo scored four runs in the 24th to win 11-9. It was the first major tournament quarter-final appearance for Mulmungo Baseball since its inception in 2015.
Kim Young-woong said, “When I was at Mulgeumgo, I was aiming for the quarter-finals, but I’m proud to have made it to the semi-finals. Even when I was with the Samsung team, I always said, ‘Mulgeumgo is the best,’ but now I can say it more confidently,” he laughed. He cheered on the juniors, saying, “Two more games and we’ll win the championship, but I hope they don’t settle for the semi-finals and aim for the championship.”안전놀이터
The juniors’ success also inspired Kim Young-woong. “I learnt a lot from them,” he said. Seeing them not giving up made me determined to work hard again,” he said.
Kim is currently in the rehabilitation group with a small injury. He is recovering from a pain in his front thigh. Reflecting on the first half of the season, Kim said, “There were many things I lacked, but it was a first half where I learnt and grew little by little. In the second half, I want to improve a little more and show more confidence,” he said.