Hanoi Capitals Baseball

Hanoi Capitals catcher Nhu Ngoc Quoc Thinh has had some big moments on the baseball field.  The jersey he wore when he it the first home run over the fence ever for a Vietnamese team in an international competition hangs in the the Pony Baseball Hall of Fame in Washington, Pennsylvania (HR vs Indonesia 12U at the 2011 Pony Asia Pacific Zone Championships in Seoul, Korea). 

However, the 18U Capitals Captain never imagined the day he would have on July 20, 2013 on first day competing in the USA on this trip in a game against an outstanding travel team - the Mid-Michigan Fury. Quoc Thinh went 3-3 with 6 RBI, including a walk-off single with the bases loaded in the final inning to lead the Hanoi Capitals to a dramatic come from behind 9-8 win over the Mid-Michigan Fury in the opening game of the Lakeshore Panther U14 Classic in Holland, Michigan.  Here is a video of Thinh's bases clearing double in the second inning after Ben Treutler hard shot to the pitcher for a single to load the bases.  The ball hit off the 345-foot left center wall.  Quoc Thinh is now a student at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technlogy (RMIT) majoring in finance in Hanoi.  Quoc Thinh also did well at catcher this tournament throwing out two runners from Mt. Prospect (Chicago).  He is a former district level ping pong champion and also a good basketball player.  Thinh won the fastest baserunner competition at the 2011 Pony Vietnam Bronco Classic Baseball Tournament.  He has competed in over 100 international baseball games for his country since joining the Hanoi Capitals as a 10-year old.  Thinh also has the unique achieve of winning the city championship for grenade throwing for distance and accuracy as judged through the mandatory military olympics that all schools participate in.  He finished second in the nation in grenade throwing as a high schooler.

Link to video of Capitals big inning, Thinh's bases clearing 345 double off the wall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdVCPmKys9o

Pictured below: Quoc Thinh scores in the Game Day USA 14U Midwest National Championships in Chicago as coaches Tom Treutler and Jacob Hilowitz look on.