'Otani misswing strikeout → goosebumps!' Heysus to win over his country, "I believed in my credit, the best moment of my career is now"

*This content was translated by AI.

Left-hander Enmanuel de Heissus (30, Detroit Tigers), who played for KT Wiz in the 2025 season, became a hero of Venezuela, the "motherland." He struck out Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers), the world's best hitter and "God of Baseball," swinging and blocking additional points from Japan, and became the winning pitcher.

Heysus pitched as the third pitcher in the bottom of the fourth inning, trailing the 2026 World Baseball Classic Japan 2-5 in the quarterfinals at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida, on the 15th (Korea time), and pitched well with one hit, one walk, and three strikeouts in two ⅓ innings. After not losing a point, Venezuela succeeded in turning the tables and became a winning pitcher.

The highlight of the match was by far the showdown between Heyesus and Ohtani. Faced with Ohtani in the crisis of scoring rights with one out and runners on the first and second bases, Heysus threw an 86.2 mile cutter from the ball count in favor of one ball and two strikes to induce a swing and miss, increasing the out count. He also struck out the next Sato Teruaki with a swing and miss to end the inning.

After the game, Heyesus said of Ohtani in the mixed zone, "He's one of the best players in the Major League. I was really happy to deal with him for the first time. Thankfully to God, I was able to produce results," he said, expressing his humble and confident feelings.

Regarding the scoring crisis, which could lead to a wider gap, Heyesus said, "The situation was as usual. I believed in my credit, and I believed in myself and pushed the batter. "Trying to make a favorable count was effective and I was able to strike out," he recalled of the situation at the time.

In particular, the two strikeouts he caught were widely evaluated as "momentum" that completely brought the flow of the game to Venezuela. "We were behind and we knew it was a very important moment because we had two runners out. I wanted to give my country Venezuela a chance to turn the tables, but I'm happy to play that role," he added.

The fact that he beat Japan, a "giant" and a "defending champion" who won three times in the WBC, meant a lot to Heyesus as well. "Japan is a really good team and a great team. I'm really excited that we beat Japan for the first time," he said, expressing joy.

Heyesus, who is leading Venezuela's sensation with his good pitching every day at this tournament, finished the interview by answering "yes" without any hesitation when asked, "Is this the best moment of your career?"

"He showed a really good and effective pitch in the mound," Venezuelan coach Omagh Lopez said of Heyesus after the game. But his team, Detroit, allowed us only 50 pitches. If not for that restriction, he would have been fully responsible for up to the seventh inning."

Heysus, who painted the night of Miami with Venezuela's hymn. His "Pitch of Faith" is now aiming at the final stage beyond the semifinals.

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*This content was translated by AI.