* Translated by AI

Starnews

'Why is my older brother showing up again?' The Shin-yoo siblings, who met for two consecutive days, this time the younger brother avenged the humiliation of a 'KBO's first home run' one month ago. "I'm confident I can win even if he keeps coming out."

Published:

Kim Dongyoon

*This content was translated by AI.

Hanwha's Park Jung-hyun (left) and KT's Park Young-hyun. Park Jung-hyun is the eldest of three brothers, and Park Young-hyun is the second. /Photo=KT Wiz, Hanwha Eagles provided
Hanwha's Park Jung-hyun (left) and KT's Park Young-hyun. Park Jung-hyun is the eldest of three brothers, and Park Young-hyun is the second. /Photo=KT Wiz, Hanwha Eagles provided

"It doesn't matter if my older brother shows up again. I'm confident I can win."

A new highlight has been added to the matchup between KT Wiz and Hanwha Eagles, which has gained further interest due to recent active FA movements between teams. This is thanks to the matchup between Park Jung-hyun (25·Hanwha), the eldest of the Shin-yoo siblings, and Park Young-hyun (23·KT).

The two faced each other for two consecutive days on August 1st and July 31st at Suwon KT Wiz Park. In the final moments of the game, Hanwha sent Park Jung-hyun in as a pinch hitter, creating scenes where KT closer Park Young-hyun faced his older brother one after another.

On July 31st, the younger brother smiled. With KT leading 5-3 in the top of the 9th inning with two outs and a runner on first base, Hanwha sent Park Jung-hyun in as a pinch hitter. Park Young-hyun's breaking balls repeatedly missed the strike zone, resulting in a 2-ball, 1-strike count. A wild pitch allowed the runner to advance to second base. However, Park Jung-hyun's hit was caught as a fly ball to right field, ending the game with a victory for the younger brother. A smile lingered on Park Young-hyun's lips as he secured the save.

After the game, Park Young-hyun met with reporters and reflected, "I thought there was no way my older brother (Park) Jung-hyun wouldn't come out. I probably wouldn't have come out if I hadn't gotten a hit from my older brother Lee Do-yoon. It seems he was sent in as a pinch hitter because my older brother Jung-hyun had performed well against me in our previous matchup."

He continued, "I only thought that I absolutely had to get him out. I didn't know what situation would unfold, but last time was last time, and today (July 31st) is today. Before the game, I told my older brother, 'I will never get hit again.' After getting him out, I thought, 'We won. Finally, we won.' That's why I think I kept smiling."

KT pitching coach Je Chun-mo taps his nose to wish for a victory after sending closer Park Young-hyun onto the mound in the top of the 9th inning during the KT Wiz vs. Hanwha Eagles game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on July 31st. 2026.07.31. /Photo=Senior reporter Kang Young-jo
KT pitching coach Je Chun-mo taps his nose to wish for a victory after sending closer Park Young-hyun onto the mound in the top of the 9th inning during the KT Wiz vs. Hanwha Eagles game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on July 31st. 2026.07.31. /Photo=Senior reporter Kang Young-jo
At the 2024 KBO Awards, KT's Park Young-hyun (center) and Hanwha's Park Jung-hyun (second from right) took a photo with their families. /Photo=Hanwha Eagles provided
At the 2024 KBO Awards, KT's Park Young-hyun (center) and Hanwha's Park Jung-hyun (second from right) took a photo with their families. /Photo=Hanwha Eagles provided

The siblings met again on the following day, August 1st. With KT leading 7-4 in the top of the 9th inning with two outs, Hanwha sent Park Jung-hyun in as a pinch hitter once more. This time, the result was hard to predict as a clear winner. Park Jung-hyun hit an outside slider for a ground ball, but shortstop Jang Jun-won failed to field it immediately, allowing him to reach base. Following this, Lee Jin-young's infield single loaded the bases with runners on first and second, but Park Young-hyun struck out Han Ji-yoon with a swing-and-miss, securing back-to-back saves in two games.

The recent matchups have drawn even more attention due to a powerful blow the older brother inflicted on the younger brother one month ago. On July 1st in a game against Daejeon KT, Park Jung-hyun crushed Park Young-hyun's 148 km/h fastball, connecting it for a solo home run over the center field fence with a distance of 130 meters. It was the first-ever home run in a KBO League sibling pitcher-batter matchup. For Park Young-hyun, who had suffered the humiliation of being the first to achieve a league record at the hands of his older brother, he could not miss this opportunity for revenge that came one month later.

The two are siblings in baseball who are gradually gaining attention in the KBO League. The siblings' professional debut began with the eldest, Park Jung-hyun. Park Jung-hyun joined Hanwha as the 78th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 KBO Rookie Draft. Two years later, in 2022, Park Young-hyun was selected first by KT, and the youngest brother, Park Ji-hyun (17), is aiming for next year's rookie draft.

The siblings' first matchup took place on May 27, 2022. It was the fourth sibling pitcher-batter matchup in KBO League history. In the first game, the younger brother smiled. Park Young-hyun struck out Park Jung-hyun with a swing-and-miss on a 142 km/h fastball. In the second matchup, the older brother settled the score. On August 5th of the same year at Suwon, with KT leading 5-0 in the top of the 9th inning with two outs and runners on second base, Park Jung-hyun attacked Park Young-hyun's cutter for a one-run double to left field. It was also an hit that prevented Hanwha from being shut out.

Hanwha's Park Jung-hyun (left) hits a home run against his younger brother Park Young-hyun in a game against Daejeon KT on July 1st and heads for home plate. /Photo=Hanwha Eagles provided
Hanwha's Park Jung-hyun (left) hits a home run against his younger brother Park Young-hyun in a game against Daejeon KT on July 1st and heads for home plate. /Photo=Hanwha Eagles provided
At the 2024 KBO Awards, KT's Park Young-hyun (left) and Hanwha's Park Jung-hyun (then serving in the military as a sergeant) received awards. /Photo=Hanwha Eagles provided
At the 2024 KBO Awards, KT's Park Young-hyun (left) and Hanwha's Park Jung-hyun (then serving in the military as a sergeant) received awards. /Photo=Hanwha Eagles provided

For a while after that, it was difficult to see the two face off again. While younger brother Park Young-hyun grew into a national team closer, older brother Park Jung-hyun struggled to secure a firm spot in the first division. Park Jung-hyun found a breakthrough at the Army Baseball Team (ROK Army). He recorded 16 home runs in his final season with the military and was once again expected as a next-generation infielder with power-hitting ability after hitting a .300 batting average for three consecutive years in the Futures League. As he gradually received opportunities to play in the first division this year, the siblings' matchups naturally resumed.

They are siblings who attended elementary, middle, and high school together and have been together for nearly 20 years. They know each other's strengths and weaknesses better than anyone, including their competitive tendencies. Yet, in professional matchups on the field, they do not back down an inch.

Park Young-hyun explained, "My older brother (Park) Jung-hyun has such great timing on fastballs. There were even hits that became foul balls; if he had thrown just a little bit off, it would have been a home run. His timing was really good." He continued, "Actually, in the game on July 31st as well, the catcher gave a sign for a fastball with a 2-ball, 1-strike count, but I said I would throw a slider. If I had thrown a fastball, I think I would have gotten hit again."

The competitive spirit of siblings who absolutely do not want to lose to each other makes their matchups even more interesting. Now, the battle will continue off the field as well. Park Young-hyun said, "I think I'll have to play mind games against my older brother from now on. I plan to play mind games even when we talk on the phone or in private settings," and smiled, adding, "Even when eating with family, I'll keep teasing him."

KT's Park Young-hyun gave an interview with reporters after leading a victory over Hanwha in Suwon last month. /Photo=Reporter Kim Dong-yoon
KT's Park Young-hyun gave an interview with reporters after leading a victory over Hanwha in Suwon last month. /Photo=Reporter Kim Dong-yoon

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*This content was translated by AI.

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