A remarkable 'ERA in the single digits'. Over the last 10 games, this is the level of performance that even the manager praised as "hard work," while Kim Taek-yeon himself said, "I am grateful for your trust and support until the end."

*This content was translated by AI.

ERA in the single digits over the last 10 games. Doosan Bears' Kim Taek-yeon is delivering 'untouchable' pitching.

On the 31st, Doosan defeated LG 4-2 in a regular-season home game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With this victory, Doosan improved to 51 wins, 45 losses, and 3 ties, securing sole fourth place in the league. They have now won two consecutive games. Starting on the 1st, Doosan will rely on their ace Kwak Bin to secure a winning streak.

On this day, Doosan's starting pitcher Jack Log pitched 6 innings (98 pitches total), allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8 batters and giving up 2 runs (1 earned). He handed the mound to Kim Jeong-woo in the 7th inning. In the top of the 8th, with Doosan leading 4-2, LG came to bat. The pitcher for Doosan was 'clutch reliever' Kim Taek-yeon.

As soon as Kim Taek-yeon took the mound, he faced Hong Chang-gi and, after a tense battle lasting up to 8 pitches, threw a high fastball (153 km/h) that resulted in a swinging strikeout. He then allowed a hit to Park Hae-min with his fourth pitch—a line drive to left-center field—before giving up a ground-rule double to Austin via the right side.

The situation was precarious; one swing could have turned the game around. The next batter was Song Chan-ui, who had hit a three-run home run against Kiwoom Heroes at Jamsil on the 30th of last month. Kim Taek-yeon faced him with a 2-2 count and threw his fifth pitch—a high fastball (153 km/h)—resulting in another swinging strikeout.

The following batter was Moon Jeong-bin, known for his power hitting. After a full-count battle, Kim Taek-yeon threw a slider on the seventh pitch, inducing a swinging strikeout to end the threat. Doosan successfully navigated the 8th inning and secured the win by bringing in Lee Young-ha in the 9th.

Kim Taek-yeon's performance this season stands at 29 appearances with 1 win, 2 losses, 3 saves, and 7 holds. Over 31⅓ innings, he allowed 22 hits (4 home runs), issued 17 walks, recorded 38 strikeouts, and gave up 9 runs (all earned). His WHIP is 1.24, and his batting average against is 0.193. Notably, his ERA over the last 10 games is just 0.84.

After the game, Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung praised his bullpen, saying, "Kim Taek-yeon and the relievers did an excellent job of holding the innings." He added, "Especially, Kim Taek-yeon has been facing some of the strongest lineups recently, maintaining focus and delivering high-quality pitches. I want to commend him for his hard work."

Kim Taek-yeon said after the game, "My control wasn't perfect in the early innings, but I felt the quality of my pitches was good. So even after facing the first batter, I decided to be aggressive in my approach. Even when runners were on base and the situation became difficult, I trusted my own pitches and kept throwing."

He continued, "For the second out, it seemed the opposing batter wasn't quite timing up with fastballs yet, so I stuck with them. Fortunately, (Yoon) Jun-ho shared the same thought, so I just threw to his mitt."

Kim Taek-yeon added, "On the final out, I had faced the previous batter with a fastball, so I decided to focus on sliders to gain an advantageous count. It was also my first time facing that particular batter, and using a pitch they weren't familiar with led to a positive outcome. I'm happy we could start this important three-game series with a win. I also want to thank the manager and coaches for trusting and supporting me until the end despite the difficult situation."

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*This content was translated by AI.