'Historical Moment Lost in Time': Even a Veteran with '60 Years in Baseball' Was Surprised... Finally Cleared His Regrets with a First-Inning Home Run to Achieve 'Double-Digit Home Runs for Two Consecutive Years' [Changwon On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.

"I've never seen a play like this in all my years of playing baseball." (Kim Kyung-moon, Hanwha Eagles Manager)

"I thought I was watching a comedy." (Lee Ho-jun, NC Dinos Manager)

Even looking back on Kim Kyung-moon's (68) 60-year baseball career, it was difficult to find a similar play. Not only were the two managers surprised, but also the broadcast team and fans alike had to doubt their eyes. Yonatan Peraza's (28, Hanwha) play was a historic moment that will be remembered in professional baseball history.

On the 27th, Manager Kim Kyung-moon met with reporters at Changwon NC Park ahead of the visiting game against NC Dinos in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League, unable to contain his admiration for Peraza's play.

In the top of the first inning with one out, Peraza reached base with a hit. Seeing the right fielder fumble the ball on Moon Hyun-bin's ground ball to right field, Peraza sprinted toward third base. Then, upon seeing the throw to second base on Kang Baek-ho's grounder to the third baseman, Peraza dashed toward home plate.

Second baseman Park Min-woo, after touching second base, quickly threw the ball not to first base but to home plate. While the timing made it a perfect out, Peraza's instinct stood out. Peraza, who slipped past the tag from catcher Kim Hyung-jun and crossed home plate, evaded Kim Hyung-jun's tag three times and soared like Superman to touch home plate.

The initial call was safe. NC requested a video review, and upon checking the slow-motion replay, it was confirmed that Peraza had perfectly evaded the tag to score.

NC Manager Lee Ho-jun said, "I've seen such a strange situation. Watching it on TV, I thought it was a comedy. The bounce was large, making a double play difficult. I wondered if the ball might have even grazed the mitt, so I requested a video review to see how he couldn't touch the glove in that situation."

Ironically, it was fortunate for NC. The game was declared a no-game due to rain just as the bottom of the third inning was about to begin. Peraza's super play ultimately remained only as a memory.

Manager Kim Kyung-moon said, "Yesterday, after watching the first inning, I hoped the starting pitcher would do well and that it wouldn't rain, but everything seems to be up to heaven." Regarding Peraza, he added with a smile, "I think we should praise his effort to survive. I thought he would surely be out, but he managed to evade the tag."

Unlike the passionate image from two years ago, Peraza has now become more composed and his concentration has improved. Manager Kim explained, "Even the third-base coach told him to stop because it would be difficult to turn a double play on that hit." Nevertheless, Peraza, who had hesitated, boldly headed for home plate and ultimately demonstrated the concentration to score by using his base-running intelligence.

It was also an unforgettable moment for Peraza himself. Peraza said, "I thought the bounce was large and a double play would be difficult, but when the third baseman threw to second base, I saw that and decided to go for home. I think the play came out because I instinctively tried to evade the tag after seeing the ball arrive. It was the first game of the week, and I knew there was a rain forecast, so I thought scoring first was important, and I felt good that it led to a run."

He himself had a strong instinct that he might be out. "I thought if the throw had been good, I would have surely been out, but since the catcher's position was a bit far during the catch, I think I tried my best to use that point to evade the tag, which led to that jump (laughs). Actually, it was a play that came out instinctively."

Teammates were even happier than anyone else at the unexpected run. Peraza said, "My teammates seemed quite surprised too. I think they all thought I would be out, so they were surprised when I was called safe. I was surprised myself when I was called safe, and I found the video review scene really fun. They say this scene will appear often in the highlights." He added, "Anyway, I will do my best to show a more mature and hardworking Peraza in the future."

His concentration continued in today's game as well. He made an impact from his first at-bat in the top of the first inning. This time, he scored both a run and an RBI by himself. Peraza lifted a forkball from Natsuki Toda over the center field wall for a go-ahead solo home run. It was his 10th home run of the season. Peraza, who hit 26 home runs in 2024, achieved the record of double-digit home runs for two consecutive seasons in the KBO.

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*This content was translated by AI.