Masan High School’s Lee Yoon-sung: “I want to be the best left-hander in the nation... I’m confident in my control” [2026 Elite High School Baseball Tournament]

According to The Financial News, the first semifinal on the 4th at Gijang Hyundai Motor Dream Ballpark in Busan in the "2026 Elite High School Baseball Tournament" turned into a one-man show by Masan High School ace Lee Yoon-sung. Facing the strong lineup of Gyeongnam High School, he mixed fastballs and breaking balls on both the inside and outside corners, striking out seven and carrying his team into the final.
Coming on in relief with two outs in the third inning of the semifinal against Gyeongnam High School, Lee threw 54 pitches over 41⁄3 innings. He struck out seven, did not allow a run, and was credited with the win.
Lee overpowered the Gyeongnam High School hitters with a fastball that topped out at 148 km/h and sharp sliders that attacked both the inner and outer edges of the plate. With excellent pitch selection and pinpoint control, he did not issue a single walk or hit-by-pitch while recording his seven strikeouts. The only hit he allowed was a double in the top of the fourth to cleanup hitter Lee Ho-min, a third-year.
“My stuff wasn’t that good in the previous preliminary game against Incheon High School,” Lee recalled. “So for the semifinal, I treated it like it might be my last game of the tournament and focused on doing it right.” He added, “The Gyeongnam High hitters seemed to be seeing a lot of pitches, so I tried to get to two strikes quickly and then attack both inside and outside. Fortunately, it worked out well.”
Asked about his go-to out pitch, he replied, “I freely choose between my fastball and slider,” and continued, “I try to keep multiple options: a fastball to the body, a slider that breaks away outside, and a slider that bores in on the hands. I’m confident in using a variety of put-away pitches to confuse hitters.”

Speaking about his matchup with Gyeongnam High cleanup hitter Lee Ho-min, Lee said, “Ho-min has both good power and good contact, so rather than going for a strikeout, I just wanted to get an out. The fastball I threw to get ahead in the count ended up going for an extra-base hit, so I did feel like I got burned there,” and added, “He’s such a good hitter against fastballs that in our second matchup I was determined not to give him anything too good. I went mostly with breaking balls and was able to get him to fly out.”
Lee’s fastball has reached a top speed of 152 km/h this year. He has set a goal of improving his physical condition after the season so he can touch 155 km/h within the year.
“This year I really want to lift a championship trophy at a national tournament,” Lee said. “That’s why I decided to transfer from Busan to Masan.” He added, “Personally, I want to be recognized this year as the best left-handed pitcher in high school baseball.”
As his role model, Lee chose pitcher Jang Chan-hee, a Gyeongnam High School alumnus who was drafted in the third round by the Samsung Lions last year. He even briefly showed the words “Jang Chan-hee mindset” written inside his cap. “Since my first year at Gaeseong High School, I’ve faced Gyeongnam High and watched Chan-hee,” Lee said. “In particular, his performance in last year’s Bonghwangdaegi National High School Baseball Tournament final against Yongma High School was so impressive that I really wanted to be like him.” He added, “I engraved his name in my cap, and every time I see it, I tell myself, ‘I need to work hard too.’”

lich0929@fnnews.com Byun Ok-hwan Reporter