*This content was translated by AI.View Original
National team closer Park Young-hyun (23, KT Wiz), who led Korean baseball to back-to-back Asian Games titles, still has a dream he has not yet achieved: winning the Korean Series (KS). He has not forgotten the memory of being defeated at the final hurdle three years ago. That is why he is determined to definitely stand on top this year.
After finishing training for the Korean Series held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 21st, Park Young-hyun met with reporters and said emphatically, "In the last one (2023 Korean Series), there were games I threw well and games I did not. But that memory is gone now. It was a very disappointing result, and since no one recognizes second place, I believe we must definitely win first."
Park Young-hyun, who graduated from Bucheon Buk Elementary School, Bucheon Middle School, and Yusin High School, is a right-handed pitcher who joined KT as the first overall pick in the 2022 KBO Rookie Draft. He made his mark by appearing in 52 games in his rookie year, and the following year he recorded 68 appearances, 3 wins, 3 losses, 4 saves, 32 holds, and an ERA of 2.75, becoming the youngest holds champion in history. That fall was also intense. In the playoffs against the NC Dinos, he pitched scoreless over 5 innings in 4 games, contributing to KT's advancement to the Korean Series. However, he tasted pain in the Korean Series against the LG Twins.
In particular, Game 2 was painful. With KT leading 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning, Park allowed a go-ahead two-run home run to Park Dong-won (36). Ultimately, KT lost 4-5, and after the series tied at 1 win and 1 loss, they dropped three consecutive games to finish as runners-up. At the time, Park Young-hyun's Korean Series record was 4 appearances, 1 loss, 1 save, and an ERA of 4.91. He allowed 2 runs over 3⅔ innings. It was a stage where he wanted to perform better than anyone else, but he could not protect the team's championship.
He continued to fulfill his role in fall baseball thereafter. In 2024, he recorded 1 win and 2 saves over a combined 6⅓ scoreless innings across 4 games in the Wild Card Series against the Doosan Bears and the Junior Playoffs against LG. His career postseason record stands at 16 appearances, 1 win, 1 loss, 4 saves, 3 holds, and an ERA of 1.83. However, KT was eliminated in the Junior Playoffs in 2024, and last year KT finished sixth in the regular season, failing to experience fall baseball at all.
Park Young-hyun stated, "We finished sixth last year and did not make it to fall baseball. We had been going every year, but we rested too early last year. This year, I have consistently worked throughout the year with the mindset of definitely winning the championship. It feels great that such words are becoming reality."
This year was an unusually long and fierce season. Park Young-hyun ran without rest from the national team training in Saipan in January for the World Baseball Classic (WBC). After experiencing the WBC quarterfinals in March, he returned to KT to play through the regular season, and in September, he also participated in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
His performance at the Asian Games was dazzling. Park Young-hyun recorded 1 save and an ERA of 0.00 over 3 games. He struck out 8 batters over 4 innings. In particular, in the final against Japan, he entered with one out in the 8th inning and pitched scoreless for 1⅔ innings, completing Korea's 3-1 victory and the tournament's fifth consecutive title. Park Young-hyun had also won a gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Games with 4 appearances and 5⅓ scoreless innings. He left an astonishing record of a 0.00 ERA in both Asian Games appearances.
He was equally consistent with his home team. In this year's regular season, he recorded 7 wins, no losses, 30 saves, and an ERA of 2.48 over 56 games, striking out 65 batters over 61⅔ innings to guard KT's back door. Following 25 saves in 2024 and 35 saves last year, he recorded at least 25 saves for the third consecutive year. Meanwhile, KT secured its first regular season championship in five years with a record of 90 wins, 5 draws, and 49 losses. For Park Young-hyun, unlike in 2023, an opportunity arose to wait for his opponent in the Korean Series.
There was also support that gave Park Young-hyun strength. Last year's LG Korean Series MVP Kim Hyun-soo (38) cited the closer as KT's biggest strength. Kim Hyun-soo said, "I think our closing is strong," revealing his trust in Park Young-hyun.
Upon hearing this, Park Young-hyun was surprised and said, "Really? I am grateful that you picked me." He then smiled and added, "This year, I did not care about titles or such things at all; I threw solely for the team. Statistics are a reward that follows accordingly. As the closer of the first-place team, I want to throw with great pride."
Although he has been running without rest from national team training in January through October and could be tired, he postponed rest temporarily given the upcoming Korean Series. Park Young-hyun said, "If I rest too much, my feel might suffer. Even now, I am throwing at full power all the time. The feeling is different when you throw after a long rest versus when you maintain it by continuously throwing." He candidly added, "The season has been very long. It was too long from Saipan. I do have thoughts of wanting to rest."
He cannot afford to miss this final stage. He smiled and said, "This year feels like my year." He continued, "I will pour out all the strength I have in every single game. This is a game where all our players must give everything. We are determined to definitely win all four games."
KT will challenge for its second Korean Series championship in franchise history against the winner of the playoff between the KIA Tigers and Samsung Lions starting November 2. Park Young-hyun resolved, "The Korean Series is a different game. There may be good results and bad results, but I only think about good results. For the team to win, I must shut down the opponent at the end well. I will believe in myself and do my best."
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*This content was translated by AI.View Original
