Park Young-hyun (KT Wiz) pitched one strikeout without losing a point in one ⅓ inning in the bottom of the eighth inning against the LG Twins in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 28th.메이저놀이터
In the bottom of the eighth inning when the score was 4-4, Kim Min hit a double by Park Hae-min after one out. After striking out pinch hitter Lee Young-bin, he sent Hong Chang-ki to four pitches on an automatic goal to win against Shin Min-jae, but gave up a walk and was on the verge of loading the bases.
With the bases loaded with two outs, KT put its closer Park Young-hyun on the mound. Austin Dean was at the batter’s box. He threw four-seam fastballs three times in a row. It became 1B2S. Then it was four-seam fastballs, too. Austin swung the bat, but failed to reach it. Park Young-hyun handled it with a foul fly out to the first baseman.
Park Young-hyun, who also kept the mound in the ninth inning, struck out leadoff hitter Moon Bo-kyung, caught Choi Won-young and Park Dong-won with a fly ball and came down from the mound.
The game went into overtime. KT’s batters took the lead by scoring four runs in the top of the 10th inning. Jang Song-woo’s timely RBI, Kang Baek-ho’s walk, Oh Jae-il’s sacrifice fly RBI, and Bae Jeong-dae’s timely RBI.
Park Young-hyun handed over the baton to Woo Kyu-min with the winning requirements, and Woo Kyu-min finished the game with three outs.
Park achieved her 10th win this season, becoming the first pitcher to record 10 wins and 20 saves in a single season in 20 years following Cho Yong-joon of the Hyundai Unicorns in 2004. It is her 11th record.
In 54 appearances this season, Park has posted an ERA of 3.20 with 10 wins, 2 losses, 21 saves, 64 ⅔ innings, 18 walks and 77 strikeouts. He ranks fourth in saves, tied for seventh among many wins, and second in win percentage.
After the game, Park Young-hyun said, “I thought it was the first record in 20 years. I wasn’t thinking about it, but as soon as the game came from behind in the 10th inning today, the older players told me that, so I had high expectations,” adding, “I know Cho Yong-joon. He’s a senior I’ve only seen in games.”
He continued, “I usually think more of saves. I wanted to save more because the king of relief only receives the closing pitcher, but I think it’s thrilling to prevent the team from winning in important situations,” and added, “I didn’t expect to win 10 games like this, but I feel good to be here like this.”
As mentioned earlier, Park Young-hyun threw four sim fastballs only when facing Austin. He overcame the crisis with his ball power. “I had no choice but to think about a head-to-head match. I thought that I would have to prevent such a situation to win the game,” Park said. “So I thought that I would have to go head-to-head against Kim. I wanted to block (Kim)min.”
He continued, “I think I would have made it to two strikes no matter what. As for me, I like to play against a fast count and I thought I should prevent the situation somehow. I chose a head-to-head match rather than avoiding it,” and added, “I think I threw it with more confidence because I thought Austin won because of his slow timing.”
KT is fiercely competing to reach the top five teams. It ranks fifth with 60 wins, two draws and 62 losses. The sixth-ranked Hanwha Eagles is trailing the team by one game with 57 wins, two draws and 61 losses. The seventh-ranked SSG Landers is also 1.5 games apart with 58 wins, one draw and 63 losses.
Park Young-hyun, who has played in many games and innings this season, said, “We have many more games to play. I think the top priority is not to get hurt. I think we need to take care of our bodies more,” adding, “Players don’t know when they will get hurt, so I want to be more helpful and bear it if I can be of help to the team.”