'From 9-1 to 9-8': KT's shocking seven runs allowed in the eighth inning, saved by a 22-year-old first-round sidearm KKKK with his debut save... 3.5 games behind second-place Samsung

*This content was translated by AI.

The game that was leading 9-1 suddenly turned into a 9-8 contest. With ace Ko Young-pyo (35) having built a lead with seven innings of one-run pitching, another first-round sidearm pitcher, Kim Jeong-un (22), saved KT Wiz by recording four strikeouts.

On the 20th, KT secured a nail-biting 9-8 victory over Doosan in a regular-season home game at Suwon KT Wiz Park as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With this win, KT extended its winning streak to two games, improving to 78 wins, 4 ties, and 47 losses. The gap with second-place Samsung Lions (76-3-52), who lost to Lotte Giants on the same day, narrowed to 3.5 games. Meanwhile, fifth-place Doosan, now in a two-game losing streak at 65-5-62, allowed sixth-place NC Dinos to close the gap.

KT nearly let slip a victory that was almost in hand. Ace Ko Young-pyo pitched seven innings, allowing three hits (including one home run), no walks, and four strikeouts while surrendering just one run. Meanwhile, KT's batters hammered out 15 total hits (both long and short) and held a 9-1 lead through the seventh inning.

However, the situation changed dramatically when Japanese Asia quota player Sugimoto Kouki entered in the bottom of the eighth. Leadoff batter Ryu Seung-min singled to right field, and pinch-hitter Son Ah-seop reached base on a second baseman's error, creating a bases-empty, one-out situation with runners at first and third. A wild pitch by Sugimoto advanced all runners by one base, and Oh Myeong-jin's single to right field again loaded the bases with no outs. Sugimoto was then replaced by Joo Kwon after allowing a two-run single to Lee Yu-chan.

Joo Kwon also struggled. He retired Ahn Jae-seok on a fly ball to left field, but gave up a two-run single to Kim Min-seok through the middle of the infield. Relief pitcher Son Dong-hyun then entered the mound and struck out Yang Seok-hwan swinging, but immediately surrendered a three-run home run to center field by Yunion Severino and a back-to-back home run to left field by Park Ji-hoon, erasing the lead and narrowing the gap to 8-9. Ryu Seung-min also singled through the middle of the infield, prompting Kim Jeong-un to replace Joo Kwon.

The player who saved KT in crisis was Kim Jeong-un (22), a right-handed sidearm pitcher who graduated from Daegu High School and was selected 10th overall in the first round of the 2023 KBO Rookie Draft. Kim retired Son Ah-seop on three pitches with a strikeout to end the eighth inning, then struck out Oh Myeong-jin and Lee Yu-chan consecutively in the ninth, showcasing his powerful stuff. Although he allowed a single to left-center field by Ahn Jae-seok, he retired Kim Min-seok on seven straight pitches with a swing-and-miss strikeout, finishing 1⅓ innings with one hit allowed, no walks, and four strikeouts for his first career save.

In the pitching duel, KT emerged victorious. Ko Young-pyo earned his 13th win (6 losses) of the season with a quality start plus performance: seven innings (88 pitches), one run allowed, three earned runs or fewer over seven-plus innings. In contrast, Doosan's Park Shin-ji took his second loss of the season, pitching only 1⅓ innings while allowing seven hits (including one home run), no walks, one strikeout, and five runs (four earned).

KT's offense battered Doosan's pitchers from the start of the game. Jang Jun-won went 2-for-4 with two home runs, five RBIs, and two runs scored, while Han Seung-taek went 3-for-4 with one home run, one RBI, and three runs scored. Choi Won-jun, Ahn Hyun-min, Kim Hyun-soo, and Oh Yun-seok each contributed multi-hit performances to support the team's victory.

Through the seventh inning, KT controlled the pace throughout. After a 15-3 blowout win the previous day (the 19th), KT took an early lead in the bottom of the first with one out and runners at first and third when Sam Heileryard's sacrifice fly to center field scored one run. In the second inning, back-to-back singles by Heo Kyung-min and Han Seung-taek were followed by Jang Jun-won's three-run home run to left field, giving KT an early advantage.

Later, Ahn Hyun-min forced pitcher Park Shin-ji off the mound after a 13-pitch at-bat with a single to left field. Against reliever Kim Dong-joo, Heileryard drew a walk, and Kim Hyun-soo added another run with a bases-loaded walk, extending KT's lead to 5-0.

Jang Jun-won's bat ignited again. In the bottom of the third with one out and a runner at first, Jang connected on a middle-in pitch from Kim Dong-joo for a two-run home run to left field. In the fifth, Han Seung-taek hit a solo home run to left field against Lee Yong-chan, and in the sixth, with bases empty and runners at first and second, Oh Yun-seop's single to right field drove in one run, making it 9-0.

Doosan began their comeback in the seventh with a solo home run to left field by Yang Seok-hwan, then scored seven runs in the eighth alone to close within 9-8. However, Kim Jeong-un, who entered the game late on the mound, recorded all four outs via strikeouts, preventing any further comeback and securing the win for KT.

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*This content was translated by AI.