"'I stopped them anyway, didn't I?' You know it. Now we start official business." KT's Park Young-hyun proves the original is truly different! 7 consecutive fastballs to the national team's No. 4 hitter in a bases-loaded, two-out situation in the bottom of the 9th inning → tense save

*This content was translated by AI.

Indeed, the original is truly different. Park Young-hyun (23) led KT Wiz to victory with the determination to throw only fastballs even in a bases-loaded, two-out crisis in the bottom of the 9th inning.

On the 16th, KT defeated LG 4-3 in an away game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season.

The turning point of the game was the bottom of the 9th inning when KT led 4-3. The LG lineup, which had shown a frustrating flow throughout the game, displayed sharp focus at the end against Park Young-hyun. Hong Chang-gi and Park Hae-min hit consecutive singles to the right field from first base, and Austin Dean's at-bat resulted in a wild pitch by Park Young-hyun. In this life-or-death crisis, the KT battery intentionally walked all bases with an automatic four-ball intentional walk. The following batters were no pushovers either. Song Chan-ui, currently the hottest hitter among LG players, and national team No. 4 hitter Moon Bo-kyung waited in line.

However, Park Young-hyun gained a psychological advantage by retiring Song Chan-ui on a foul fly to first base with just three pitches. The showdown with Moon Bo-kyung was the highlight. Park threw only fastballs to Moon Bo-kyung and eventually induced a groundout to the shortstop. Having entered in the bottom of the 8th inning with two outs earlier and striking out Moon Sung-ju looking, Park Young-hyun pitched 1⅓ innings allowing two hits, one walk, and recording one strikeout without surrendering any runs, earning his 18th save of the season.

After the game, Park Young-hyun met with reporters and said with a smile, "Still, I'm glad I stopped them. They say 'I stopped them anyway, didn't I?' Now we start official business." "I stopped them anyway, didn't I?" is a meme (meme) that refers to KBO League closers who suddenly lose composure in save situations but somehow manage to secure the team's victory. This year, such scenes have appeared frequently, raising and lowering fans' spirits.

LG Twins' Yoo Young-chan (29) and former KT player Kim Jae-yoon (36, Samsung Lions) have often shown such scenes, becoming a topic of discussion, but Park Young-hyun is no pushover either. Park Young-hyun said, "I've had that kind of situation since last year. Our fans call it 'Young-hyun Theater' and tell me to stop, but there's nothing I can do. I hope they understand how difficult multi-inning appearances are. Even when I try my best to overcome them, it doesn't always work out. That's baseball," he smiled.

This year, Park Young-hyun has handled 12 multi-inning appearances, ranking second in the league in this category. One of the reasons fans feel upset is the manager's firm trust in Park Young-hyun. Regarding this, he said, "Actually, I remember more from when I started pitching in the 8th inning than from the 9th," but added, "The manager trusts me and uses me, and I trust him and pitch accordingly, so I am truly happy. Pitching on the mound right now is the most enjoyable thing for me, and today (the 16th), since the opponent was the first-place team, it was fun to face those batters."

He also revealed a behind-the-scenes story with KT manager Lee Kang-cheol (60) who took the mound in the bottom of the 9th inning. Manager Lee Kang-cheol visited the mound when Park Young-hyun found himself in a crisis with one out and runners on first and second, calming him down. Park Young-hyun said, "The manager asked if I was okay. He told me to be more careful with my pitches and instilled confidence that I could stop them. I felt a bit relieved there (nervousness eased) and managed to hold the line well." He added, "That one word gives strength to players. Since they worry about us like that, we feel we must repay them. It's a happy ending," he smiled broadly.

Not only the manager, but also the trust from coaches and teammates makes Park Young-hyun fearless in any situation. The reason seven fastballs were thrown against Moon Bo-kyung was also due to this. Park Young-hyun emphasized, "Our pitching staff didn't perform well in the first half, so our self-esteem dropped a lot. Perhaps because of that, Coach Je Chun-mo told the pitchers at the start of the second half to throw whatever they want to throw and what they are confident about. I listened to that, and since fastballs are my strength, I threw them confidently."

In the process, a dizzying scene also occurred. One pitch thrown to Moon Bo-kyung headed toward his head. Regarding that part, Park Young-hyun said, "I thought it was over after Song Chan-ui got out. My body was loose, but when (Moon) Bo-kyung came up, I felt a bit of tension. At first, my heart kept pounding, so I called time to catch my breath, but the umpire didn't allow it. So I decided to just throw, but my balance completely broke down, and it went toward there (toward Moon Bo-kyung's head). I was sorry to Hyung Bo-kyung," he expressed his apology.

Although it was a close call, thanks to Park Young-hyun who clearly protected the victory, KT has won four straight games including three consecutive wins in the first half. Third-place KT improved their record to 47-1-35, narrowing the gap with second-place LG (52-34) to just 2.5 games.

Park Young-hyun said, "I didn't attach too much meaning to the LG game; I thought of it as just one game in the season. There's still a lot of the season left, and I'll follow what heaven has decided. Actually, today, hits kept coming out, and Austin came up, so I was anxious thinking 'What should I do?'" he reflected.

He continued, "I think I should enjoy it. Rather, stopping the first game like this might become an opportunity to pitch better in the second half. It was scoreless, and our team won. I think I did well," showing the composure of a closer.

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

*This content was translated by AI.