'After 23-minute suspension due to fire,' Na Seung-yeop hit a clutch RBI single to seal the game [Yesterday's Baseball Moment]

*This content was translated by AI.

May 6 Lotte 8-1 KT (Suwon)

Smoke suddenly poured into Suwon KT Wiz Park.

With Lotte Giants leading 6-1 in the top of the 7th inning, no outs, and a runner on second base, KT Wiz pitcher Ju Kwon was about to deliver his third pitch with a 1-1 count against Na Seung-yeop. Smoke suddenly drifted in from near the right-field area. A fire had broken out at a nearby trash dump. Due to the smoke, visibility was severely reduced, and the umpires ordered all players from both teams on the field to retreat to the dugouts.

The fire was quickly extinguished, but the game had to wait for the remaining smoke to clear. The game, suspended at 8:22 p.m., resumed 23 minutes later at 8:45 p.m.

Both pitchers and batters experienced an unexpected break, and the atmosphere remained tense. Although Lotte held a five-run lead, the game had just entered its later stages, so it was too early to feel relieved. The key question was how this sudden incident would affect the flow of the game.

After the game resumed, Ju Kwon threw the first pitch—a 140 km/h two-seam fastball inside. Na Seung-yeop did not miss, driving a hit to center field. It was a clutch RBI single that brought runner Reyes home.

Ju Kwon then allowed a single to left field to the next batter, Jeon Jun-woo, creating a bases-empty, 1st-and-2nd situation. He then gave up a hit to Yoon Dong-hee that hit the second baseman and rolled toward center field. Four consecutive hits. Na Seung-yeop, now on second base, scored, making the score 8-1, effectively ending the game.

After the game, Na Seung-yeop said about the situation at the time, "At first, I didn't know (about the smoke), but someone told me. Even during the suspension, my body was still loose and ready. The count was 1 ball, 1 strike, and I just tried to swing. The ball was clearly visible, so I trusted myself."

Meanwhile, the fire on this day was handled quickly by KT, minimizing confusion. A fire broke out at an external trash dump at 8:20 p.m., causing smoke to drift into the stadium. KT immediately informed spectators via the stadium's electronic scoreboard, reported the incident to the fire department, and worked hard on initial response measures to extinguish the fire early.

A club official stated, "It is reported that cigarette butts were found in the trash dump. With Game Supervisor Park Jong-hoon and the umpires confirming there were no casualties and the situation did not warrant canceling the game, they decided to resume play once the smoke cleared."

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*This content was translated by AI.