'Miracle' KIA: 9th-inning, two-out walk-off grand slam triggers dramatic comeback! Kim Ho-yeon, the pinch-hitter against Kim Won-jung, becomes a hero as KBO history is rewritten with only the second such feat in league history [Gwangju On-the-Ground Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers secured a dramatic comeback victory, led by pinch-hitter Kim Ho-yeon's walk-off bases-loaded home run in the bottom of the 9th inning.

On the 25th, KIA defeated Lotte Giants 8-5 in a walk-off win during their regular-season home game at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League schedule.

With this victory, KIA improved to 61 wins, 50 losses, and 2 ties, maintaining sole possession of fourth place in the league. They successfully snapped a two-game losing streak and remain 0.5 games behind third-place LG Twins.

In contrast, Lotte finished the season with 50 wins, 59 losses, and 2 ties, securing sixth place alone in the standings. They held off seventh-place Hanwha Eagles and eighth-place NC Dinos by one and two percentage points respectively, maintaining their sixth-place position.

KIA's Shirakawa allowed seven hits, walked one batter, struck out five, and surrendered five earned runs over 4⅔ innings (74 pitches total), facing a fifth loss of the season before escaping defeat thanks to the dramatic comeback. Jung Hae-young (1⅓ innings), Kim Beom-su (⅓ inning), Sung Young-tak (1⅔ innings), and Jo Sang-woo (one inning) followed in relief. In the lineup, which generated 13 hits total, Na Seong-beom recorded three hits, while Kim Do-young and Park Sang-jun each contributed multi-hit performances.

Lotte's starting pitcher Vissely allowed nine hits (including one home run), walked two batters, hit two batters with pitches, struck out four, and gave up four earned runs over 5⅔ innings (95 pitches total). However, the bullpen surrendered the comeback, delaying his ninth win of the season. Ii-mura (1⅓ innings), Choi Jun-yong (one inning), and Kim Won-jung (⅔ inning) followed in relief. In the lineup, which generated 10 hits total, Reyes, Jeon Min-jae, and Son Seong-bin each recorded multi-hit performances.

Lotte's starting batting order for the day was: Hwang Sung-bin (center fielder), Na Seung-yeop (designated hitter), Reyes (left fielder), Han Dong-hee (third baseman), Go Seung-min (first baseman), Han Tae-yang (second baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), and Son Seong-bin (catcher). Vissely was the starting pitcher. On this day, which marked the implementation of the expanded roster rule, KIA called up Lee Ho-jun and Jung Dae-seon (both position players) as well as pitcher Jung Hyun-soo to the first-division roster.

It was notable that Son Seong-bin started despite his poor finger condition. The previous day, he received medical advice indicating damage to the sheath surrounding the tendon of his right middle finger. Fortunately, the Lotte organization stated, "While there is some instability, there are no functional issues, so he can play while being managed."

Before the game, Kim Tae-hyung, manager of Lotte, said, "The test results came back fine, and doctors say there's no problem with playing," but added, "Still, I worry he might feel worse again during today's game." He further explained, "For now, we'll let him play as much as possible and monitor his condition based on the situation at hand."

KIA's starting lineup was: Park Jae-hyun (center fielder), Castro (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Na Seong-beom (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Oh Seon-woo (first baseman), Han Jun-su (catcher), Park Sang-jun (first baseman), and Ha Joo-seok (shortstop). Shirakawa was the starting pitcher. Through the expanded roster, Ju Hyo-sang, Byun Woo-hyeok, Park Sang-jun, and Lee Chang-jin were added to the first-division roster.

Before the game, Lee Beom-ho, manager of KIA, explained the rationale behind the call-ups: "Regarding (Lee) Chang-jin, we have many left-handed hitters, so we needed some right-handed batters. We plan to use him when Park Jae-hyun is out or when a right-handed hitter is needed in the lineup. Regarding (Byun) Woo-hyeok, we want to check his third-base defense. Regarding (Park) Sang-jun, we had been considering calling him up for some time. Currently, (Han) Jun-su's batting condition isn't ideal. With (Kim) Tae-gun playing, if there are pitchers he has hit well before, we're also considering having him play as a designated hitter. That's why we kept three catchers."

KIA built momentum by scoring in the first and third innings. In the bottom of the first, leadoff batter Park Jae-hyun hit a double down the left-field line, then advanced to third base on an error by starting pitcher Vissely. After two outs, Na Seong-beom's RBI double down the right-field line scored Park from third.

In the bottom of the third, after one out, Kim Do-young hit a hit up the middle. Following Na Seong-beom's infield single toward the pitcher that put runners on first and second, Kim Sun-bin delivered an RBI single through the left side, scoring Kim Do-young from second base.

Lotte, held down by strong pitching from KIA starter Shirakawa, exploded offensively in the top of the fifth inning, scoring five runs. Leadoff batter Go Seung-min hit a single to left field, Han Tae-yang hit an up-the-middle double, and Jeon Min-jae drew a walk to create a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity. Yoon Dong-hee struck out.

Son Seong-bin then hit an RBI single to left field, scoring runners Go Seung-min from third and Han Tae-yang from second to tie the game 2-2. Following a groundout by Hwang Sung-bin to third base that left runners on first and third, Na Seung-yeop launched a two-run, walk-off double over the center-field fence, giving Lotte a 4-2 lead. Reyes immediately followed with an RBI double down the left-field line, extending the lead to 5-2 in one swing.

KIA did not give up easily. In the bottom of the sixth, leadoff batter Park Sang-jun reached base on a single to right field. Ha Joo-seok then connected with a high outside forkball on the second pitch of a 1-0 count, launching a two-run home run over the center-field fence. This was Ha's second home run of the season, traveling 120 meters. The score narrowed to 5-4, one run behind.

In the bottom of the seventh, leadoff batter Kim Sun-bin reached base, but the rally ended when Kim Ho-ryeong flew out to right field and Kim Tae-gun grounded into a pitcher's choice double play. In the bottom of the eighth, another leadoff batter reached base: Park Sang-jun hit an up-the-middle single against reliever Choi Jun-yong. However, Ha Joo-seok grounded out to first, Park Jae-hyun flew out to left field on a foul ball, and Castro struck out swinging, failing to capitalize on scoring opportunities.

Lotte faced a harrowing situation in the top of the ninth with two outs and a runner on second. Hwang Sung-bin hit a short single to left field; as runner Jeon Min-jae advanced from second to third and then tried to return, he was tagged out—a critical baserunning error. In the bottom of the ninth, it was KIA's turn to bat with Kim Won-jung pitching for Lotte. After one out, Na Seong-beom reached base on a single to left field. With two outs, Kim Ho-ryeong hit a single to left field. Kim Tae-gun then drew a walk to load the bases. In the next at-bat, KIA substituted pinch-hitter Kim Ho-yeon for Byun Woo-hyeok. Kim Ho-yeon then connected with a forkball on the fourth pitch of a 2-1 count, launching a dramatic walk-off grand slam over the right-field fence that completed the comeback. This marked only the second time in KBO League history that a pinch-hitter hit a walk-off bases-loaded home run to win the game (the first occurred on May 18, 2017, when Lee Taek-geun hit one for Hanwha against Nexen at Gocheok Sky Dome).

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.