▲ This photo provided by the Korea Baseball Softball Association on April 25, 2022, shows Choongang High School pitcher Kim Jae-hyun. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

high school pitcher-no-hitter

S. Korean high school pitcher throws no-hitter

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- Choongang High School right-hander Kim Jae-hyun threw a no-hitter over the weekend, becoming the first South Korean high school pitcher to toss a no-no in five years, the national amateur baseball federation said Monday.

The Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) said Kim held Dongsan High School without a hit over nine innings in a 5-0 victory Sunday in their National High School Weekend League action. Kim, a senior, struck out 11 and didn't walk a batter, though he hit two batters while making 107 pitches.

The KBSA said Kim is the first high school pitcher with a no-hitter since Shin Jun-hyuk had one for Paichai High School in 2017.

According to the KBSA, Kim pitched himself into a jam in the bottom of the third when a hit-by-pitch and a passed ball put a runner at second with nobody out. The right-hander dug deep and escaped the jam with a pop fly and two strikeouts.

In the fourth inning, Kim hit the first batter he faced, before getting two strikeouts and a fly out to end Dongsan's threat.

Kim was perfect over the final five innings of the game.

In order to prevent injuries among young and still-growing pitchers, the KBSA has a 105-pitch limit on a high school hurler per day. But an exception is made when a pitcher is working on a no-hitter or a perfect game, and that pitcher must be removed immediately once that bid is broken.

The KBSA said it will present Kim with a special achievement award at the end of the first half of the season on May 15.

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