The Fireworks Fighters completely overwhelmed Gangneung High and achieved their 12th win of the season.
On the 15th, the 20th episode of the baseball variety show "Fireworks Baseball," released on Studio C1's official YouTube channel, depicted the Fireworks Fighters exploiting gaps in Gangneung High's mound to secure an 11-1 rout.
In the earlier game against Gangneung High, the Fighters had a 5-0 lead through the second inning, but the game ended in cancellation because of pouring rain. The game resumed as a suspended game starting from the bottom of the second inning with two outs, a runner on first and a 2-1 count.
The pitcher who took the mound in the top of the third was Lee Dae-eun, who had been the starter in the previous game against Gangneung High. With dominant pitching and a quick tempo, he subdued Gangneung High's hitters, retiring the side in order in the third and fourth innings.
In the bottom of the third, the Fighters faced Yang Hee-chan of Gangneung High. Park Jae-wook, chasing a .300 average, found himself down two strikes but managed to record a lucky hit on the 12th pitch of the at-bat. Following that, Kim Jae-ho drew a walk and Im Sang-woo hit a huge two-run triple to push the score to 7-0. Moon Gyo-won, nicknamed the burning desire's "little Park Yong-taek," also contributed with an RBI double to add another run.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Fighters unleashed their offense against Gangneung High's replacement pitcher Jang Hyun-ho. With only two runs needed for a seven-inning mercy win, consecutive hits by Kim Jae-ho and Jung Geun-woo and a wild pitch by Gangneung High left runners on second and third with no outs. Moon Gyo-won and Lee Dae-ho then each drew consecutive walks, producing run-scoring pushes. After that, a timely hit by "powerful No. 5" Jung Eui-yoon and a run-scoring groundout by pinch-hitter Choi Soo-hyun made it 11-0.
In the top of the sixth, with the Fighters comfortably ahead, they made large defensive shuffles to rest players. Moon Gyo-won moved to first base, Choi Soo-hyun to third, Kim Min-beom to catcher, and Kang Dong-woo to right field. The pitcher was also replaced with Shin Jae-young, known as "Mapdori." But Shin Jae-young allowed a double to the leadoff batter and faced a run-scoring threat. Although he induced a groundout from the next hitter, he couldn't prevent the runner from reaching third and then gave up a run-scoring hit to Gangneung High's Park Sang-jun for the first run allowed.
In the top of the seventh, manager Kim Seong-geun entrusted the game finish to Seon Seong-kwon. Seon Seong-kwon used his curveball to quickly get ahead in the count, striking out the first batter and inducing a groundout to the second baseman from the next. He then allowed an opposite-field triple on the first pitch to the following batter but immediately induced a flyout to center from the next hitter, preserving the Fighters' victory. Viewers watching the broadcast cheered the win in unison.
The 20th episode of "Fireworks Baseball" surpassed 100,000 concurrent viewers within 15 minutes of its premiere. Peak concurrent viewership reached 204,000. Viewers watching the broadcast reacted enthusiastically, saying, "Park Jae-wook's hit with heaven's help is really funny," "You can always trust Im Sang-woo, the birth of a new genius shortstop!", "Hero potato Moon Gyo-won is growing well," "Lee Dae-eun's condition today is insane. He is the ace himself," "It's nice to see Shin Jae-young being favored by the manager," and "Seon Seong-kwon's pitching gives me goosebumps."
Next week's broadcast will feature a live match against Seoul High, the 2025 Shinsegae Emart Nationwide High School Baseball Tournament champion. Expectations are high to see whether the Fighters can secure their 13th win of the season against Seoul High, which boasts a strong mound and bats that are beyond high school level.
After the broadcast, "Fireworks Baseball" announced a live match against Yooshin High on Sunday the 21st. This game is especially notable as the first live match held at Daejeon Fighters Park and will feature the first Fireworks Live. Ticket sales open at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17. Also, on Sunday the 28th at 5 p.m., a live match against Masan Yongma High will be held at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium. This game will also feature Fireworks Live, with tickets opening at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
You can watch the match between the Fireworks Fighters, who boast ageless performance, and Seoul High, whose baseball skill is not youthful, at 8 p.m. on Monday the 22nd on Studio C1's official YouTube channel.
[photo] Studio C1 "Fireworks Baseball" episode 20 capture
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