Blockbuster 'KARA SCO's 7-inning Perfect KBO Sensation Debut!' Fierce Doosan Backbone Against Such LG Ends in 'Extra-Inning 11th-Game Tie' [Jamsil On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Carlos KARA SCO, who made his KBO debut, delivered a perfect 7-inning performance, but the game ultimately ended in a tie due to Doosan Bears' formidable resilience.

On the 1st, LG secured a 2-2 draw against Doosan in an away regular-season match of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium. With this tie, LG maintained sole third place in the league with 55 wins, 43 losses, and 1 tie. Meanwhile, Doosan recorded 51 wins, 45 losses, and 4 ties.

On this day, Doosan set its starting lineup as follows: Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Severino (designated hitter), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Yang Eui-ji (designated hitter), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Ahn Jae-seok (third baseman), Kim Daehun (right fielder), Jo Su-haeng (center fielder), and Yoon Jun-ho (catcher). The starting pitcher was Kwak Bin.

LG arranged its starting lineup as follows: Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin (first baseman), Moon Jung-bin (designated hitter), Song Chan-ui (right fielder), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Koo Bon-hyeok (third baseman), Lee Ju-heon (catcher), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher was Carlos KARA SCO.

Regular catcher Park Dong-won was absent from the starting lineup for the second consecutive day following the previous day's game. Yeom Kyung-yeop, LG's manager, had previously explained that Park Dong-won's exclusion from the lineup was "for rest purposes" and added, "His ankle has not been in good condition recently, so he may sit out all three games against Doosan."

Last month, LG released right-handed fireballer Yacel Rioz and instead signed KARA SCO as a new foreign pitcher. The contract was valued at a total of $360,000 (annual salary: $360,000). Prior to today's game, Yeom Kyung-yeop, LG's manager, said about KARA SCO, "I think we need to see him in action. We're considering around 70 pitches."

And KARA SCO fully met the manager's expectations. While both teams' starters delivered dazzling performances that filled Jamsil Stadium, LG took the lead in the fifth inning. Leadoff batter Oh Ji-hwan reached base with a double down the right-field line, and after one out, he scored on Lee Ju-heon's two-run double to left field. Then, Shin Min-jae was retired on a fly ball to right field, but Hong Chang-ki followed with an RBI single through center-right, extending the lead to 2-0.

While Doosan's lineup struggled against Kwak Bin, LG's mound saw nothing short of KARA SCO's heroic pitching. From the first through third innings, KARA SCO allowed no baserunners, and even after the batting order completed another full rotation in the sixth inning, he still held them hitless. In the seventh inning, KARA SCO faced Park Chan-ho for a ground ball to second base, struck out Severino, and retired Park Jun-soon on a ground ball to shortstop, completing his KBO debut with a perfect 7-inning performance. His line that day was 7 innings, 2 strikeouts, perfect game. Total pitch count: 74. Fastball velocity reached up to 149 km/h. He threw 48 strikes and 26 balls, mixing fastballs, sinkers, sliders, cutters, changeups, and curveballs evenly.

However, immediately after KARA SCO was pulled, Doosan's lineup exploded. In the eighth inning with one out, Kim Min-seok recorded Doosan's first hit against LG reliever Woo Kang-hoon. Then, with two outs, Kim Daehun smashed an RBI double through left-center field to cut the deficit by one run. But that wasn't the end. LG replaced Woo Kang-hoon with closer Son Ju-young. When Jo Su-haeng came to bat, Doosan sent in pinch hitter Park Ji-hoon. It turned out to be a brilliant move. Park Ji-hoon lifted Son Ju-young's second fastball into left-center field for an RBI double that tied the game. The first-base stands, packed with Doosan fans, erupted in frenzy. The score returned to 2-2. At the same time, KARA SCO's chance of victory vanished.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, leadoff batter Park Chan-ho drew a walk against Son Ju-young. However, subsequent batter Kang Seung-ho was retired after failing on a sacrifice bunt, and Park Jun-soon grounded into a force-out at third base, sending the game into extra innings. In the 10th extra inning, LG brought in Kim Jin-seong; in the 11th extra inning, Shin Min-jae took the mound for LG. Doosan countered with Lee Byung-hun and Park Chi-guk in the 10th and 11th extra innings respectively, but ultimately could not break the tie. Especially in the bottom of the 11th extra inning with one out and a runner on second, Park Chan-ho grounded into a force-out at third base. However, during this sequence, Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung launched a fierce protest after the game regarding the out call on second-base runner Jung Soobin.

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*This content was translated by AI.