'Wow! 159km/h light-speed pitch' Park Jun-hyun's blockbuster debut, shuts down Samsung with father Park Seok-min in 5 scoreless innings

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Jun-hyun (19), a right-handed pitcher selected first overall by the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2026 Rookie Draft, delivered a flawless performance on his first-division debut, living up to his reputation. Notably, he pitched brilliantly against the Samsung Lions, where his father, Park Seok-min (41), serves as the minor league hitting coach.

On the 26th, Park made his first start at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome in a home game against the Samsung Lions in the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League'. He pitched 5 innings, allowing 4 hits, striking out 4, walking 4, and keeping the scoreless. Although he issued a few walks, he impressed by overcoming crises on his own. He dominated Samsung batters with a powerful fastball reaching 159 km/h and sharp breaking balls.

Park, who endured a harsh first test in March exhibition games with an ERA of 16.20 across 4 appearances, returned as a completely different pitcher after about a month of training in the Futures League. He recorded an ERA of 1.88 and 21 strikeouts in 4 Futures League games, completing his warm-up, and carried that momentum seamlessly to the first division.

Starting from the first inning, Park used a 158 km/h fastball to retire Kim Ji-chan, Ryu Ji-hyuk, and Park Seung-gyu in order. He escaped a crisis in the bottom of the second. After allowing a hit to Diaz, a walk to Choi Hyung-woo, and a ground ball to the right side by Kim Heon-gon, he found himself with no outs and bases loaded. However, he retired Jeon Byeong-woo with a ground ball to the second baseman and induced Kim Do-hwan into a ground ball to the third baseman for a double play, preventing any runs.

In the third inning, with two outs and a runner on second in scoring position, Park retired Diaz with a fly ball. In the fourth, he started with no outs and runners on first and second but retired Jeon Byeong-woo with a bunt, then struck out Kim Do-hwan and Shim Jae-hoon to regain composure. In the fifth, despite a defensive error putting him in a crisis with one out and runners on first and second, he retired Diaz with a fly ball to center field and Choi Hyung-woo with a ground ball to the first baseman, completing 5 scoreless innings.

After throwing 95 pitches, Park was replaced immediately at the start of the top of the sixth. He handed the mound to Won Jong-hyun while leading 1-0. According to the pitching analysis chart provided by the Kiwoom organization, Park's average fastball velocity was 154 km/h. He threw 51 strikes and 44 balls. His breaking balls, excluding the fastball, consisted of 7 curveballs and 31 sliders. His slider reached a top speed of 146 km/h.

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*This content was translated by AI.