'161.5㎞→160.7㎞' Another Korean Record, 'Yeon-gal-liang Absolute Trust': LG Has the Versatile Reliever Rios

*This content was translated by AI.

161.51㎞→160.74㎞.

He threw two pitches that will be etched in Korean professional baseball history within a single game, resetting the record for the fastest pitch in KBO history just one month after joining the team and already earning solid trust as a reliable foreign investor.

Yasel Rios (33, LG) relieved in the top of the 9th inning with his team leading 5-3 against the Hanwha Eagles at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 4th during a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game, pitching one scoreless inning with one walk and one strikeout to secure the team victory.

Rios, who joined LG last month as a replacement for foreign pitcher Yoni Chirinos, has been active in 10 games over 13 innings with one win, one loss, two saves, five holds, and an ERA of 3.46. While Son Ju-young is used as the closer, Rios serves as the first-choice reliever for manager Yeom Kyung-yeop in clutch situations, expanding the flexibility of the bullpen operations.

Although Rios allowed runs in three of his 10 games and his ERA shows a significant gap compared to Son Ju-young (1.09), his pitching performance is far from lacking. While Son has a low batting average against of 0.193, his walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) stands at 1.38, which is not an overwhelming level for suppressing baserunners.

However, Rios boasts a low batting average against of 0.217 and a WHIP of 1.00, placing him among elite pitchers. Among relievers representing the league, only Samsung's Kim Jae-yoon (0.90), Doosan's ace Kim Jung-woo (0.95), and Samsung's Kim Tae-hoon (0.98) have a WHIP under 1.

What defines Rios is his overpowering fastball that dominates batters. Last month on the 13th against Lotte, he threw a 160.84㎞ pitch, surpassing the previous KBO record of 160.28㎞ held by Kiwoom's An Woo-jin. Then on the 24th against Samsung, he delivered a 161.7㎞ fastball.

While it is often argued that relievers who pitch for short bursts can throw faster than starting pitchers who must endure long innings, Rios's ability to consistently throw pitches exceeding 160㎞ was surprising as such a pitcher had never been seen in the KBO League before.

It was Son Ju-young's rest day, so Rios had to step up whenever a save situation arose. When asked the previous day who would take over as closer instead of Son, Manager Yeom answered without hesitation: "Rios."

Although the team suffered a heavy defeat the previous day and he did not get a chance to pitch, a save situation occurred on this day. Son Ju-young, who had only started games until this season, needed two days of rest after consecutive outings, while Rios had rested for one day, making him fully available to pitch today.

Rios entered in the top of the 9th with his team leading 5-3. He walked leadoff hitter Lee Do-yun but induced an outfield fly ball from Hwang Young-mok to right field. He also induced a ground ball from Choi In-ho, but a fielding error prevented a double play.

Hanwha's power hitter Yonatan Peraza stepped up to the plate, and Rios gave his all. He threw a 161.51㎞ fastball on the first pitch, and Peraza's hit went foul. Rios stole timing with a curveball on the second pitch and then generated another foul ball with a 160.74㎞ pitch on the third. Peraza kept fouling off pitches repeatedly, extending the at-bat to eight pitches, but in an unfavorable 1-2 count, he swung and missed at Rios's sharp-breaking curveball for a strikeout.

Before the game, Manager Yeom expressed firm confidence that victory was possible even on bullpen days thanks to Rios. After the win, he praised: "Jang Hyun-sik performed his role well as a starter. We were trailing without scoring additional runs, but our winning relievers Kim Jin-su, Kim Jin-seong, and Rios fulfilled their roles, allowing us to secure victory with defensive baseball."

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*This content was translated by AI.