"Another reason for KIA fans to smile!" After PO victory, 5⅔ innings of KKKKKK in Ulsan; welcome outing from 22-year-old left-hander

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

On the day the KIA Tigers clawed back from the brink, good news also emerged from Ulsan. Yun Young-cheol (22), a top-tier left-handed prospect who underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery (Tommy John surgery) last year, pitched a scoreless game of 90 pitches after more than a year of rehabilitation, raising expectations for next season.

On the 30th, KIA defeated the Samsung Lions 4-2 in a comeback victory in Game 4 of the 2026 KBO Playoffs (PO) at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field. Trailing 1 win and 2 losses on the verge of elimination, they scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to even the series at 2 wins and 2 losses. They kept their hopes for a Korea Series berth alive until the decisive Game 5, scheduled for November 1 in Daegu.

On the same day, an impressive performance that raised expectations for KIA's future was delivered at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium. Yun Young-cheol started against the Ulsan Whales in the semifinals of the 2026 Ulsan-KBO Fall League, pitching a scoreless game over 5⅔ innings with 6 hits allowed, 1 walk, and 6 strikeouts.

The KIA Futures team lost 1-2 in a bottom-of-the-ninth-inning comeback defeat after allowing two runs, failing to advance to the finals. However, the stable pitching displayed by Yun Young-cheol was a clear gain.

Particularly impressive was his command. Yun Young-cheol's top speed on the day was 142 km/h. While not overwhelming in velocity, he threw 64 of his total 90 pitches (71.1%) for strikes. He mixed a four-seam fastball (46 pitches) with changeups (18), sliders (10), curves (8), and cutters (8). Precise corner work utilizing the left and right sides of the strike zone stood out.

Yun Young-cheol was once expected to be the elite left-hander responsible for KIA's future. A graduate of Chungam High School, he was drafted by KIA in the second overall pick of the first round of the 2023 KBO Rookie Draft. His signing bonus alone reached 320 million won. He drew attention from his high school days for his precise command and diverse breaking balls, and in 2022, he received the Star Pitcher Award at the Amateur Star Awards hosted by StarNews.

He quickly made his mark on the professional stage as well. Entering the starting rotation from his rookie year in 2023, he recorded 8 wins and 7 losses with a 4.04 ERA in 25 games. In 2024, he posted 7 wins and 4 losses with a 4.19 ERA in 18 games, accumulating 15 wins within two years of joining the team.

However, injuries held him back. He missed about two months due to a stress fracture in his spine in July 2024, and last year he struggled with poor command and underperformance from the start of the season. In particular, after collapsing for six runs allowed in one inning against the Lotte Giants on April 10, he was seen shedding tears in the dugout.

He was eventually removed from the first division roster on April 19. Although he later rejoined the starting rotation, he had to step aside again due to left elbow pain in July. Initially diagnosed with a partial injury to the flexor muscles and beginning rehabilitation, he ultimately could not avoid surgery.

Yun Young-cheol underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery on his left elbow at Yokohama Minami Mutual Aid Hospital in Japan on September 4 last year. His final record for the 2025 season was 2 wins and 7 losses with a 5.58 ERA in 13 games.

It took about a year to return to the pitcher's mound. Yun Young-cheol made his first live appearance after surgery in an exhibition game against Woosuk University on August 12 this year. At the time, he recorded a scoreless outing over three innings with one walk and three strikeouts. He threw 44 pitches, with a top speed of 138 km/h.

In September, he also returned to official Futures League games. On the 11th, he secured a win against the Hanwha Eagles with a scoreless performance over six innings, allowing five hits and two walks. However, in the game against Ulsan on the 19th, he wavered, allowing five hits, five walks, and four runs over 3⅔ innings. His record for this year's Futures League concluded at 1 win with a 3.72 ERA in two games.

And after about 40 days, he showcased more stable pitching against Ulsan, whom he faced again. The start was not easy. In the bottom of the first inning, Park Moon-soon's left-side single, Shin Jun-woo's sacrifice bunt, Kim Seo-won's right-side single, and a defensive error combined to put him in a bases-loaded situation with one out and runners on second and third base. He issued an intentional walk to Ha Jae-hoon, loading the bases, but ended the inning without allowing runs by recording a shortstop groundout against Ye Jin-won and a shortstop grounder against Noh Kang-min.

After getting through the crisis, he regained his composure. He retired all three batters in consecutive order in the second and third innings. In the fourth inning, he struck out Ha Jae-hoon on an outside fastball clocked at 134 km/h. Although he allowed a right-side single to Noh Kang-min, he struck out Kim Si-wan with a 122 km/h changeup, continuing his scoreless streak. In the fifth inning, despite allowing a single to Park Moon-soon with two outs, he retired Shin Jun-woo on a shortstop grounder.

The biggest crisis came in the bottom of the sixth inning. He struck out leadoff batter Kim Seo-won, but allowed consecutive right-side singles to Ha Jae-hoon and Ye Jin-won, finding himself in a bases-loaded situation with one out and runners on first and third base. Yun Young-cheol struck out Noh Kang-min on an outside fastball. Then, as the runner on first stole second base, resulting in two outs with runners on second and third, he left the mound after 90 pitches. The relief pitcher who followed, Jang Jae-hyuk, struck out Kim Si-wan, allowing Yun Young-cheol to finish his appearance without allowing any runs.

Yun Young-cheol did not take the first division mound even once during this year's regular season. Instead of that, he had thrown 44 pitches in his first exhibition game in August, but on this day, he increased his pitch count to 90 and raised his top speed from 138 km/h to 142 km/h. Unlike allowing five walks in the September game against Ulsan, he issued only one walk on this day. While KIA prepares for Playoffs Game 5, Yun Young-cheol also showed the possibility of returning to the starting rotation for the 2027 season.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original