'Previous-day error → game-winning home run → escape three-game losing streak' KT's Kim Hyun-soo apologizes first, saying "I'm really sorry to Sugimoto" [Suwon on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Hyun-soo (38), who led KT Wiz to escape a three-game losing streak, first expressed his sincere apologies to Sugimoto Kouki (26), who secured KBO League's first win with his own home run.

On the 5th, Kim Hyun-soo started as the second batter and first baseman in the regular-season match between Lotte Giants and KT at Suwon KT Wiz Park during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League. He recorded one hit (one home run), two RBIs, and one run in four at-bats, leading KT to a 4-2 victory.

That single hit came at a decisive moment. In the bottom of the eighth inning with no outs and a runner on first base, while the score was tied 2-2, Kim Hyun-soo smashed pitcher Jung Hyeon-su's 139 km/h fastball over the right-field fence for a massive distance. The home run traveled 115.4 meters, marking his sixth of the season and shifting momentum in KT's favor.

The two-run homer held even greater significance as it avenged the previous day's disappointment. On the 4th, Kim Hyun-soo made two costly defensive errors. In the top of the third inning, he failed to catch a fly ball hit by Yoon Dong-hee, allowing an opponent to reach base.

In the top of the eighth with no runners on base and two outs, he missed a routine grounder hit by Victor Reyes, again allowing an opponent to reach base. Later, Han Dong-hee's intentional walk and Noh Jin-hyuk's pinch-hit single to left field that drove in one run sealed the defeat. At that moment, Sugimoto was on the mound.

Sugimoto smiled again just one day later. Appearing for two consecutive days, he pitched a scoreless eighth inning with one hit allowed and one strikeout, earning the win. This marked his first KBO League victory after three months since the start of the season.

After the game, when reporters asked Kim Hyun-soo about Sugimoto's first win, he said, "Rather than congratulations, I felt terribly sorry for yesterday. Sugimoto came as an Asian quota player and must have felt lonely and struggled as a foreign player. Since I couldn't help him enough, I apologize. Recently, Sugimoto's performance has been improving steadily, and his pitching has gotten better across the board. So instead of congratulating him, I wanted to express my apology for yesterday."

Kim Hyun-soo offered no excuses for his previous-day error. He stated, "It wasn't an easy hit, and it wasn't just me who struggled. My usual style is to block with my body, but yesterday I tried to catch it with the glove for some reason. I should have played better at first base," taking full responsibility.

This was his first home run in 35 days since the May 31 match against Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome. Kim Hyun-soo said, "I knew it had been a while, and honestly, I didn't expect it to clear the fence today either. I didn't even have time to watch whether it would go over; I just hit it well and tried to run hard. My mindset was simply not to hit into a double play, so I'm extremely relieved that this was a game-winning home run."

KT recently lost its batting momentum while the bullpen struggled, handing the second-place position to Samsung. With a four-game gap already established, reclaiming second place before the first half of the season ended proved impossible.

Kim Hyun-soo added, "Baseball has its flow. There are good times and bad times. I believe this year our team has become stronger because we rarely lose easily. Although our momentum was not as strong as last year, I thought a positive trend would return, and today we were able to break the losing streak."

He continued with a smile, "I think we handled the first half better than last year. As a veteran, I tried to do more, but it backfired. Instead of that, I'm focusing on managing my body to play at my current physical level as perfectly as possible."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.