"It cannot become someone else's celebration." Ulsan Whales aim for their first championship in franchise history! Unbeaten in 11 games, they face a U.S. independent league team in the final [KBO Fall League on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

"It cannot become someone else's celebration, can it?"

The Ulsan Whales, who sparked a surprise run in their inaugural season, will challenge for their first championship at home. Their opponent is the Long Beach Coast, a combined team from various U.S. independent leagues that has gone undefeated in 11 games. Manager Jang Won-jin (57) of Ulsan expressed his determination to give it his all until the very end in front of the fans.

Ulsan will face Long Beach in the final of the 2026 Ulsan-KBO Fall League at 2 p.m. on the 31st at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium. Both teams, making their first appearance in this tournament, have advanced to the final and will compete for the championship trophy.

Ulsan finished first in the Southern League of the KBO Futures League, which they joined for the first time this year. Although they lost to Sangmu in the championship series and settled for second place, they have now secured another opportunity to challenge for a title in this Fall League.

The path to the final was dramatic itself. In the semifinal against the KIA Tigers on the 30th, Ulsan trailed 0-1 through eight innings. However, in the bottom of the ninth with one out, they capitalized on an error by the opposing shortstop's throw. A tying RBI hit by Park Je-beom (25) and a walk-off sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Kim Seong-gyun (25) combined to secure a 2-1 comeback victory.

Ahead of the final on the 31st, Manager Jang met with reporters and reflected, "Honestly, I didn't see much hope yesterday (the 30th). When it became the bottom of the ninth with one out, I thought it would be difficult." He added, "But an error occurred in the opposing defense. In baseball, errors often lead to runs, so a bit of hope emerged at that moment."

He continued, "Since this league is being held in Ulsan, we need to play until the very end for the fans to be happy. It cannot become someone else's celebration," emphasizing the significance of advancing to the final as the home team.

The strong pitching performances by Japanese pitchers were also decisive in Ulsan's comeback victory. Starter Okada Akitaake (33) used fastballs reaching up to 150 km/h to shut down the KIA lineup, but he was replaced after being hit on the finger by a hard-hit ball from Hwang Dae-in in the top of the fourth inning. Despite this unexpected setback, Ulsan's pitching staff did not collapse. Naga Taishi (27), who took over next, pitched 5⅔ innings with three hits allowed, no walks or hit batters, and eight strikeouts without allowing a run, laying the foundation for the comeback win.

Manager Jang explained, "Naga had good command early in the season, but his stuff declined as he threw many pitches throughout the season. However, yesterday, his early-season form was right there." He added, "So we pushed him to pitch until the end. Since we had to win yesterday for today's game to happen, I intended to use all our best pitchers."

The final opponent, Long Beach, is no pushover either. Led by Manager Don Wakamatsu (63), Long Beach is a combined team assembled from various independent league franchises in the United States. They finished first among all 12 teams with an 8-0-2 record in the preliminary round and extended their unbeaten streak to 11 games (9 wins, 2 draws) by defeating the LG Twins 4-2 in the semifinal on the 30th.

Long Beach also advanced to the final with a dramatic walk-off victory. Trailing 0-2 against LG, they mounted a comeback with Cooper's solo home run in the bottom of the fifth and tied the game with Cuba Beth (29)'s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth. Then, in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and a runner on first base, Benjamin Rosengard (27) hit a walk-off two-run homer.

A solid pitching staff is also a strength. Long Beach recorded a team ERA of 1.55 in the preliminary round. In the semifinal, starter Luke Short allowed two runs over 4⅓ innings before the bullpen shut down the opposing offense for 4⅔ scoreless innings. However, Manager Jang expressed confidence that they are a beatable opponent. In fact, Ulsan had victory within reach in their preliminary matchup against Long Beach until allowing a tying home run in the ninth inning.

Manager Jang stated, "Even when we first played Long Beach, it was almost a win for us. But we allowed a home run and conceded a tie in the ninth, resulting in a draw." He emphasized, "I believe we are fully capable of competing against them. Although they are a team from the United States, we are playing to represent our country. If we work hard, I think good results will follow."

Park Seong-ung (27) has been announced as the starting pitcher for the final. Manager Jang revealed his pitching strategy, stating, "The opposing team has many left-handed batters. If Park Seong-ung can pitch deep as the starter, we plan to utilize our left-handed pitchers in between to decide the game."

Above all, Ulsan will take the field backed by the passionate support of home fans. Despite chilly weather at 7 degrees Celsius the previous day, approximately 250 spectators watched the semifinal. A pair of elementary school sisters fans led cheers with choreography, pumping up the players.

Manager Jang said, "The young fans have been coming since the regular season and have given us a lot of support. I saw them come out to cheer yesterday as well. I am truly grateful." He added, "Our players have little experience playing in front of large crowds at Navy Headquarters. However, more than 70,000 spectators visited us over this past season. The support becomes strength and creates an atmosphere where the players can work even harder."

A meaningful event was also prepared ahead of Ulsan's first championship challenge. On this day, Jung Ho-yeon, a senior official from Byeongyeong 2-dong in Jung-gu, Ulsan; Choi Se-chang, a senior official from the Economic Policy Division in Nam-gu; and Choi Han-seok, a senior official from Duseo-myeon in Ulju-gun, will participate in the ceremonial first pitch, toss, and call. These are civil servants who discovered and rescued a citizen who fell into tetrapods on the coast of Gampo-eup, Gyeongju City, Gyeongbuk Province last September.

Manager Jang reflected, "At first, I thought this season would be really tough. But the players worked so hard that we achieved good results. Players who had experienced pain to get here showed in Ulsan that they could do it too. I am truly grateful and proud of them." He then conveyed his determination, saying, "Today is truly the last game of this season. We will deploy our full strength, give it our best until the end, and aim for a championship."

The final on this day will be broadcast live on KBS LIFE and the official KBO YouTube channel.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original