Pitcher Ignores Celebrating Teammates, Consoles Friend: Watch

A high school athlete in Minnesota showed world-class sportsmanship seconds after playing the hero in a monumental game for his team last week. Mounds View Mustangs pitcher Ty Koehn struck out Jack Kocon of Totino-Grace to seal his school's place in the state tournament.

But instead of celebrating with his teammates who immediately rushed the field, Koehn ran straight to Kocon and gave him a hug. Why?

It turns out Koehn and Kocon played on the same little league team and remain good friends to this day.

"We are very close friends," Koehn told Bring Me The News. "Our friendship is more important than just the silly outcome of a game. I had to make sure he knew that before we celebrated."

Koehn told the news site he didn't have to even think about consoling Kocon, it was "instinct."

The heartwarming moment has since been shared countless times on social media and has even caught the attention of the "worldwide leader in sports," ESPN.

Sports fans from around the country have chimed in to praise Koehn for his character.

The Mustangs will play the Stillwater Ponies in the state quarterfinals Thursday.

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