Strikeout, yet the national team catcher’s sprint created the winning run: "First time in my baseball career! As soon as the ball slipped..."

*This content was translated by AI.

"This is the first time I've experienced something like this in baseball."

In most situations, a strikeout is a disappointing record for a team. But on the 12th at Gocheok Sky Dome, it was different. A single sprint immediately after a swing-and-miss strikeout created a stunning turnaround that led the team to victory. Kim Geon-hee (22) of Kiwoom Heroes, known as an 'Asian Games national team catcher,' found his determination coincidentally leading to a win.

On the 12th, Kiwoom secured a thrilling one-run comeback victory with a score of 4-3 against LG Twins in their home game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul during the '2026 Shinhan SOLKBO League.' The team displayed remarkable focus by scoring three runs exclusively in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Until the top of the 8th inning, it seemed as though LG was gaining the upper hand. With the score tied at 1-1 and no outs with a runner on first base in the top of the 8th, LG's Moon Jeong-bin hit a two-run home run to take the lead.

But Kiwoom did not give up. With the score at 1-3, Kim Woong-bin and Matt Davidson delivered RBI hits in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game at 3-3. A bases-loaded double play by Choi Jae-hyun set up a situation with two outs and runners on second and third. It was then that Kim Geon-hee stepped up to bat against LG pitcher Woo Kang-hoon. On the first pitch, he fouled off a high fastball inside; on the second, he swung and missed at an outside curveball, putting him in a difficult 2-strike count. On the third pitch, a breaking ball dropped, and his swing connected, but the ball hit catcher Park Dong-won's glove and rolled backward. The official call was a strikeout.

However, Kim Geon-hee, recognizing the situation immediately, sprinted toward first base without hesitation. Meanwhile, runner Matt Davidson from third base crossed home plate, and Kim Geon-hee beat Park Dong-won's throw to reach first base safely. With both Davidson and Kim Geon-hee surviving due to the catcher's wild pitch, the score flipped to 4-3 in favor of Kiwoom. Although LG requested a video review, the original call stood unchanged.

In the 9th inning, closer Won Jong-hyun entered the game and prevented any further runs, securing the victory for Kiwoom.

After the game, Kim Geon-hee smiled when recalling the strikeout situation in the 8th inning. He explained, "I really wanted to hit it. After fouling off the first pitch, I thought, 'This is bad.' Then I swung and missed at the second pitch, so I cleared my mind. I was thinking, 'Just one more, just one,' but I swung and missed again on the third pitch. As I was lamenting, 'Ah,' I saw the ball roll backward and immediately sprinted with all my strength."

When he returned to the dugout after the inning change, his teammates' reactions were cheerful. Kim Geon-hee said, "Everyone just laughed. They even joked, 'Did you swing on purpose?' Even though I struck out, it felt strange yet wonderful that we scored. This is the first time in my baseball career something like this has happened. Since anything can happen at any moment, I realized I must always give my best in every situation."

On this day, Kim Geon-hee also contributed significantly on both offense and defense, including hitting a large double to left field in his second at-bat in the 5th inning. He said, "I enter each at-bat with the mindset of getting at least one hit per game, so I'm glad I fulfilled my minimum role today. First and foremost, it's important for the team to win. Since all my senior teammates are approaching the game with the same mindset, it seems luck is on our side. Tomorrow, I will focus on the basics and give my best."

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*This content was translated by AI.