*This content was translated by AI.
Lee Ho-yeon (31, KIA Tigers), the hero of a pinch-hit walk-off reverse grand slam, expressed his longing for his late father.
On the 25th, KIA secured an 8-5 walk-off victory in the bottom of the 9th inning against Lotte Giants at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field during their 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game.
With this win, 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 held a 0.5-game lead over third-place LG Twins.
In the bottom of the 9th inning on this day, KIA trailed by one run, 4-5, during their final offensive opportunity.
Lotte brought in closer Kim Won-jung. After one out, Na Sung-beom recorded a hit; after two outs, Kim Ho-ryeong got a hit, and Kim Tae-gyun drew a walk, creating a bases-loaded situation.
The next batter was Byun Woo-hyeok. At that moment, the KIA bench made a move: they substituted Lee Ho-yeon for Byun Woo-hyeok as a pinch hitter.
Lee Ho-yeon swung and missed at the first pitch, a low forkball. The second pitch, a 146 km/h fastball, drifted far outside. The third pitch, another forkball, also went high and outside for a ball. Then came the fourth pitch: Kim Won-jung's 133 km/h forkball was right down the middle, and Lee Ho-yeon did not miss it, launching a walk-off reverse grand slam that cleared the right-field wall.
A flood of records followed.
This was Lee Ho-yeon's second walk-off hit and his first walk-off home run. It was also the first grand slam of his career. Naturally, this marked his first walk-off grand slam and first walk-off reverse grand slam. The pinch-hit home run was also a personal first for him.
Expanding the scope to the entire KBO League history, a new record was born. First, the pinch-hit walk-off grand slam is only the third in KBO history. Song Won-guk of the Doosan Bears set the first on June 23, 2001, against SK Wyverns at Jamsil Stadium. Lee Taek-geun of Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom Heroes) recorded the second on May 18, 2017, against Hanwha Eagles at Gocheok Sky Dome.
Adding a reverse to that mix, Lee Ho-yeon became only the second player to hit a pinch-hit walk-off reverse grand slam, following Lee Taek-geun. On May 18, 2017, Lee Taek-geun hit a reverse grand slam against Hanwha pitcher Jung Woo-ram in the bottom of the 9th while Nexen trailed 4-6.
Furthermore, this pinch-hit walk-off reverse grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the 9th is the first in the 45th-year history of the KBO League. In contrast, Lee Taek-geun's 2017 hit came with no outs and a bases-loaded situation, resulting in a grand slam.
In an interview with reporters after the game, Lee Ho-yeon said, "Before stepping up to the plate, I told myself to just swing freely and not play passively. In the on-deck circle, the manager and hitting coach advised me to aim for a higher zone. The coach also suggested, 'If you're going to look for a forkball, do so decisively.' So from the on-deck circle, I focused only on the forkball. When the first pitch was a forkball, I think I timed it perfectly. That's when I adjusted my zone again. After that, I aimed high and got lucky."
He continued humbly, "The ball came in as I was looking for it, and I swung hard. I felt like I made solid contact, but I didn't expect it to go over the fence. The ball didn't drop quickly on the ground. I wanted it to fall somewhere fast, so I think I got lucky that it went over."
Lee Ho-yeon graduated from Gwangju Suchang Elementary School, Jinheung Middle School, Gwangju Jeil High School, and Sungkyunkwan University. He was selected by KIA in the second round of the 2018 rookie draft as the 53rd overall pick. After playing for KT Wiz, he moved to KIA when he was drafted in the third round as the 11th overall pick in the 2025 KBO secondary draft held last November.
Lee Ho-yeon said, "When I first joined KIA, since it's my hometown team, I came with the mindset of contributing to the team when I moved up from the Futures League to the first division. And now that I've been able to contribute in just one day, I'm truly happy." He added, "I think this is the most thrilling moment of my baseball career. Even hitting a walk-off hit as a pinch hitter with bases loaded would be thrilling, but getting a home run by luck makes it even more thrilling to this day," unable to hide his joy.
He continued, "(While running around the field) I thought about all the years I've played baseball and my parents came to mind most. Just now, I felt like I might cry." He added, "I think of my father the most." Lee Ho-yeon's father passed away forever on August 12 last year. Having recently observed the first anniversary of his passing, he paused briefly while speaking due to thoughts of his father.
Finally, he said, "First and foremost, I'm truly glad the team won. It was an important time when we were avoiding a long losing streak and continuing our battle for standings. I'm really happy that I could contribute." When asked about watching highlight videos of his home run, he replied with a smile, "Until 3 a.m.? (laughs) I'll make sure to watch the video many times," promising to do so in the future.
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*This content was translated by AI.
