The Mounds View high school baseball team clenched the section championship title in a 4-0 victory over Totino-Grace earlier this month.
When the umpire uttered “Strike three,” the whole team sprinted towards the pitcher’s mound. However, the pitcher ran directly towards home plate.
He had just struck out his close friend.
Check out the amazing sportsmanship at the end of this Minnesota high school baseball final. Full story here: https://t.co/SqoOIiEMXk pic.twitter.com/PnTCq5oqJs
— Bring Me The Sports (@BMTNSports) June 8, 2018
As it turns out, the two involved in the final face-off were once teammates, and had been friends since childhood.
“We are very close friends,” Koehn told BMTN. “I knew him from all the way back when we were 13. We were on the same little league team. It was tough when we went to separate schools but we kept in touch.”
Pitcher Ty Koehn consoling the batter after the last out. Extremely proud of all you have accomplished so far this season. More proud of who you guys are – great teamates and classy young men.
– Coaching Staff ⚾ pic.twitter.com/n57JhvRVli— Mounds View Baseball (@mvvarsbaseball) June 8, 2018
Their friendship surpasses the meaning of any baseball game, so Koehn wanted to be sure that the two parted on good terms.
“I knew I had to say something,” he said. “Our friendship is more important than just the silly outcome of a game. I had to make sure he knew that before we celebrated.”
Totino-Grace may have lost their chance to compete in the state tournament this year. However, batter Jack Kocon has secured a true friendship with Koehn that is sure to last for many seasons to come.
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