'KKKKKKKKKKK' Perfect Game Shattered, '100% Win Rate' Illusion Shattered by Shocking Bullpen Meltdown... Riley's 6th Victory Flies Away

*This content was translated by AI.

It was an unforgettable day for Riley Thompson (30, NC Dinos). He had victory within reach with a perfect performance, but he lost it amid a shocking meltdown by the bullpen.

On the 26th at Incheon SSG Landers Field during the visit game against SSG Landers in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League, Riley threw 88 pitches over six innings, allowing five hits (one home run), one walk, and striking out 11 batters while surrendering only one earned run.

Leading with a fastball clocked at top speed of 152 km/h, he masterfully deployed his forkball, curveball, and slider to completely dominate the SSG batters.

In the bottom of the third inning, with the team leading 2-0, a slider thrown to Jo Hyung-woo drifted toward the middle of the plate, allowing a solo home run; however, this was the only run allowed that day.

He recorded two strikeouts each in the first and second innings. Even after giving up a run, he finished the fourth inning with three up, three down. He allowed two hits in the fifth inning but struck out Han Yu-seom on a low-falling curveball with one out, and with two outs and runners on first and second, he induced both An Sang-hyun and Jeong Jun-jae to swing and miss or ground out using curveballs. Against An Sang-hyun, a low curveball inside the plate induced a swinging strikeout; against Jeong Jun-jae, a curveball with a large drop that hung on the edge of the outer zone froze him completely.

In the sixth inning, Riley started off well by striking out Park Sung-han. After walking Madris and allowing a hit to Kim Jae-hwan, he induced a groundout to first base from Jeon Ui-san and then struck out Choi Ji-hoon with a 151 km/h fastball down the middle that resulted in a swinging strikeout.

He threw 88 pitches and could have continued into the seventh inning, but with the team leading 5-1, the NC bench opted not to push him further.

However, for SSG batters who were struggling against Riley's overwhelming performance, bringing in the bullpen became an opportunity instead. Jeon Sa-min, who entered in the bottom of the seventh inning, walked Jo Hyung-woo with one out before allowing a hit to An Sang-hyun. With two outs and runners on first and third, he surrendered a two-run single to Park Sung-han.

Kim Jin-ho, who entered in the eighth inning, found himself in a crisis with runners on first and second and one out, but closer Lim Ji-min came in to shut down the scoring without allowing any runs, providing some relief.

The ninth inning became the problem. Lim Ji-min allowed a hit to Lee Ji-young with one out and walked Madris. He struck out Kim Jae-hwan on a fly ball to left field but then suffered severe control issues. After the walk, with two outs and bases loaded, he issued bases-loaded walks to Choi Ji-hoon and Han Yu-seom.

Despite this, NC continued without making a pitching change and also gave up a straight fastball walk to Hong Dae-in, allowing the score to tie at 5-5. Only then did the NC bench bring in pitcher Son Ju-hwan, who barely finished the inning before heading into extra innings. In extra innings, neither team managed to score, and the long battle ended in a draw.

Riley, who won 17 games last year and claimed the wins title, returned to the rotation in May after an injury sidelined him earlier this season. Since then, he has gone on a five-game winning streak with outstanding pitching. He had never collapsed before the fifth inning. With support from his lineup, he allowed no losses. Over 13 games, he pitched 75⅔ innings with a record of 5 wins and no losses, posting an ERA of 3.09.

In a game where the ace performed as expected, the bullpen squandered a victory that was almost secured, leaving behind a bitter regret over the questionable pitching management.

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*This content was translated by AI.