'Roar After Nine Years': Samsung's Yang Chang-seop Delivers First Career 9-Inning Shutout, Reviving 33-Year-Old Franchise History

*This content was translated by AI.

Samsung right-handed pitcher Yang Chang-seop (29) recreated his high school days for the first time in nine years since his debut, also reviving a franchise milestone that hadn't been achieved in 33 years.

On the 24th, Yang started against the visiting Lotte Giants at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, pitching 9 innings with just 1 hit allowed, no walks, and 6 strikeouts in a scoreless performance to lead Samsung to a 10-0 shutout victory.

This was Samsung's second shutout of the KBO League season this year. Earlier, Adam Oller of the KIA Tigers had secured a shutout in a game against the Lotte Giants in Gwangju on April 24. It was also Yang's first career shutout. A graduate of Nokcheon Elementary (now Norwon Little League), Cheongryang Middle School, and Deoksu High School, Yang was selected by Samsung as the second pick in the second round of the 2018 KBO Rookie Draft. Despite frequent injuries that prevented him from ever pitching more than 90 innings in a single season, he took full responsibility as a starting pitcher through the final out in his 97th first-division game, nine years after his debut.

The shutout will also be remembered in Samsung and KBO League history. It was Samsung's first 9-inning, no-walk shutout since Ariel Jurado's performance against the Suwon KT Wiz on July 26, 2025. Among Korean-born pitchers, it was the first since Choi Ji-myeong (formerly Choi Chae-heung) against the LG Twins at Jamsil on September 13, 2020, six years prior.

Yang threw a total of 102 pitches, evenly distributing his arsenal: a fastball reaching up to 150 km/h (30 pitches), changeups (29 pitches), sliders (25 pitches), curves (14 pitches), and two-seam fastballs (4 pitches). He allowed only one hit, a single by Jang Du-seong in the bottom of the third inning.

There was not even a moment of crisis. Even after allowing a hit to Jang Du-seong, Yang retired the next three batters with just eight pitches. Only Victor Reyes, known for his strong contact ability, posed a challenge. Yang managed to induce outs from Reyes in the first and fourth innings, using seven pitches in each appearance.

Five pitches were sufficient for all other batters. Yang finished the fifth inning with nine pitches and recorded strikeouts in every inning through the seventh. The defense also supported Yang. In the sixth inning, outfielder Kim Sung-yoon made a diving catch on a sharp hit by Son Seong-bin, and in the eighth inning, Jeon Byung-woo recorded two outs.

The offense also provided robust support with 13 hits, both long and short. Koo Ja-wook hit a two-run home run over the fence in the top of the first inning, lightening Yang's burden. Lee Jae-hyun went 3-for-3 with one RBI and reached base in every at-bat, while Choi Hyung-woo and Lewin Diaz each contributed two hits to the offensive effort.

Yang met the criteria for a win and remained on the mound in the ninth inning after throwing just 96 pitches through eight innings. He retired Kim Se-min with three sliders for a first baseman's fly ball, Gangnam with two two-seam fastballs for a third baseman's grounder, and Hwang Sung-bin with a changeup for a right fielder's fly ball to end the game. After the game, Yang turned to catcher Jang Seung-hyun, who had worked with him on the shutout, and bowed 90 degrees to express his gratitude.

A 1-hit shutout is the 47th such feat in KBO League history. The most recent occurred on June 25, 2024, in a game against Samsung at Jamsil, when Casey Kelly (formerly of LG) achieved it. Among Samsung pitchers, it was the first 1-hit shutout since the 21st century. Before Yang, the last Samsung pitcher to record a 1-hit shutout was Sung Jun in a game against the Busan Lotte Giants on June 19, 1993, 33 years ago. Among Samsung right-handed pitchers, the last 1-hit shutout was by Myung Sun in a game against the Daegu Haitai Tigers on May 28, 1992.

It was a roar after waiting nine long years. Yang was known as a national ace during his time at Deoksu High School. He led Deoksu High to consecutive Golden Sajak Cup championships and was expected to become a workhorse ace. However, frequent injuries derailed the highly touted prospect. He suffered from major and minor injuries every year, and at one point, his fastball velocity dropped to the low 140 km/h range, making it seem as though he would be forgotten.

But after a year of rest, he began to show glimpses of his high school form last year. With his fastball velocity and pitch quality restored, he posted a meaningful season for the first time since his debut: 33 games, 3 wins, 3 losses, 2 holds, an ERA of 3.43, 63 innings pitched, and 45 strikeouts. He was confidently recognized as a starting candidate during this year's spring training in Okinawa, Japan, and finally bloomed in his 97th first-division game.

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*This content was translated by AI.