“Wow! A 108-pitch gem” — Hurado held strong for 6⅔ innings, allowing two runs, and a “heating standing ovation” erupted at Raemkun Park.

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Samsung Lions foreign pitcher Ariel Hurado (30) perfectly fulfilled his crucial role as the starting pitcher in the second game of the Playoffs.

Hurado started the second game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Playoffs (PO, best-of-five series) against the KIA Tigers on the 27th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, pitching a strong game for 6⅔ innings with 5 hits allowed, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 2 runs allowed.

Hurado’s first run came in the third inning. In the top of the third, he allowed leadoff batter Ha Ju-seok to make contact on the first pitch, resulting in a line drive single to center field for his first base reach. Subsequently, the first baseman fielded Kim Ho-ryeong’s bunt and threw to the second baseman to record an out, but during that time, the runner advanced to second base.

In a one-out, runner-on-second crisis, Hurado engaged in a six-pitch full count battle with number-one hitter Park Jae-hyun, but allowed an infield single down the first-base line, expanding the threat to one out with runners on first and third bases. Ultimately, Hurado allowed Lee Ho-yeon to hit a sacrifice fly to center field on the second pitch, failing to prevent runner Ha Ju-seok from scoring from third base.

However, Hurado’s wobble was short-lived. He subsequently found his composure, closing out innings without allowing additional runs, and firmly held the pitcher's mound while minimizing threats.

In the top of the sixth inning, Hurado also received crucial defensive help from the infielders. After getting leadoff batter Lee Ho-yeon to ground into second base in a four-pitch at-bat, he quickly recorded two outs by striking out the following Kim Do-young on a fly ball to shortstop on the first pitch.

He then engaged in a persistent seven-pitch full count battle with number-four hitter Castro. Castro hit the seventh pitch into the left-field fence, sending a large ball directly into the wall, but left fielder Choi Hyeong-woo’s quick fence play and accurate throw to second base shone. Second baseman Ryu Ji-hyuk, who caught Choi Hyeong-woo’s throw, perfectly tagged out Castro, who was running to second base, completing the third out of the inning. He erased a crisis that could have easily resulted in an extra-base hit and handed over momentum, locking down the sixth inning as scoreless.

Hurado, who came back up in the top of the seventh inning, allowed a walk to leadoff batter Na Seung-beom and a single to Han Jun-su, finding himself in a one-out, runners-on-first-and-third situation. After striking out Ha Ju-seok, he gestured toward the bench indicating he would get one more out, but gave up a run on a wild pitch during Kim Ho-ryeong’s at-bat, and an error compounded the issue, leading to a two-out, runners-on-first-and-third crisis.

Hurado, who recorded 108 pitches, left the pitcher's mound receiving a heated standing ovation from home fans. Relief pitcher Lee Seung-min followed, striking out the next batter Park Jae-hyun to close out the inning without allowing any of Hurado’s inherited runners to score.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original