"It feels like my lifespan is shortening, so I'd rather not finish it..." How the miraculous KT foreign investor, who overturned a 5-point deficit from '4:9 to 10:9', turned down a walk-off opportunity

*This content was translated by AI.

Sam Hilliard (32, KT Wiz), who orchestrated the miraculous bottom-of-the-9th comeback to overturn a 5-point deficit, declined a walk-off opportunity that may come again someday.

On the 20th, Hilliard started as the fourth hitter and center fielder against the Suwon KIA Tigers, going 3-for-6 with one home run, two RBIs, and one run scored, leading KT to a 10-9 victory.

It was a stunning comeback, erasing a 4-9 deficit in the bottom of the 9th by scoring six runs. At the center of it all was Hilliard. In the bottom of the 9th, as the leadoff batter, Hilliard targeted Sung Young-tak's first pitch and hit a solo home run to right field.

Later, with no outs and bases loaded, An Chi-young drew a bases-loaded walk, and Kwon Dong-jin hit a two-run double, narrowing the gap to 8-9. Heo Kyung-min reached base on a hit-by-pitch, and Ahn Hyun-min followed with a two-run single to tie the game.

With Ahn Hyun-min stealing second base, the scoring opportunity was set up once again for Hilliard. Even with a 0-ball, 2-strike count, Hilliard connected on Kim Beom-soo's slider with a single to center field, ending the 4th-hour, 24-minute contest in KT's favor.

After the game, Hilliard told reporters, "When I stepped up to the plate for the first time in the 9th, I tried to time my swing without being late. I thought I shouldn't miss if a fastball came in, and it actually came right down the middle." He added, "For my final at-bat, I tried to regulate my heart rate and calm my breathing. It was such a big opportunity that I kept telling myself, 'The pitcher is under more pressure than I am.'"

The moment Hilliard felt the game was in hand was when Kwon Dong-jin hit a two-run single. Hilliard said, "I think our team is truly dangerous in the 9th inning. It's even more so at home, regardless of the point difference. When Kwon Dong-jin hit a single with the bases loaded and it became first out with runners on first and third, I felt we were going to win."

He continued, "Although the bunt attempt failed and the runner from third was out, the mood in the dugout didn't waver much. We had good hitters waiting behind us, and we felt we still had enough opportunities."

If Hilliard had not finished the game, catcher Ahn Hyun-min would have had to wear the mask for the first time since joining the pros four years ago. In fact, Ahn Hyun-min himself was excited at the thought of wearing the catcher's mask.

Hilliard responded, "I'm a bit sad that (Ahn) Hyun-min didn't trust me that much. That wasn't the time to think about catching..." He then laughed, saying, "It was right for me to hit a single and for him (Ahn Hyun-min) to think he didn't need to catch. I should have trusted my teammate a bit more."

It was his first walk-off hit since joining the KBO, and it was the kind of performance KT had hoped for from a foreign hitter. However, Hilliard wanted a different outcome. When asked by reporters how many more walk-off hits he would like to have, he smiled and said, "A walk-off hit is a great experience and feels very good for a batter. But I'd like to have just one or two more. Games like this shorten your lifespan." He emphasized, "In the future, I hope our lineup and pitching staff perform well so we can win comfortably with large point differences. Winning that way is better for the entire team."

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*This content was translated by AI.