A home run for the first hit of autumn baseball in the Korea Series... A comeback for a catcher in his 14th season who left KIA [KS1 On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Han Seung-taek (32, KT Wiz), who had experienced two Korea Series (KS) championships with the KIA Tigers but had no career postseason hits, finally recorded his first hit as a home run on the most important stage.

In Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korea Series (best-of-seven series) against the Samsung Lions at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 3rd, Han started as the eighth hitter and catcher, recording one hit in four at-bats (one home run), one RBI, and one run scored.

KT defeated Samsung 8-7, powered by home runs from Han Seung-taek, Ahn Hyun-min (23), and Kim Hyun-soo (38). In the history of the 42nd Korea Series held to date, the team that won Game 1 went on to win the championship in 31 instances (73.8%).

It was an unforgettable game for Han Seung-taek. After striking out consecutively in his first two at-bats in the bottom of the second and third innings, he hit a solo home run over the left-field fence off Samsung pitcher Jang Chan-hee's 138 km/h cutter as the first pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs while KT led 5-0.

It was his first career postseason hit and first career postseason home run. Previously, Han had gone hitless in eight at-bats across six postseason games while playing for KIA.

After the game, Han told reporters, "I knew I hadn't gotten a hit in the postseason before. It wasn't that it was particularly good because it was a home run; I was even happier because it was a hit that could help the team win."

Reflecting on the home run situation, he said, "In my previous at-bats, I felt like my timing was a bit late. This time, I simply thought about trying to hit the ball a little earlier, and a good batted ball came out." It was an opportunity that arrived after a long wait.

Han was drafted by the Hanwha Eagles in the third round, 23rd overall, of the 2013 rookie draft. After that season ended, he transferred to KIA as a free agent compensation pick for Lee Yong-gyu and guarded the home plate position for many years. He shared in KIA's Korea Series championships in 2017 and 2024. However, it was not easy to secure a firm starting position. In particular, he appeared in only 20 games in 2024 and just 15 games last year.

Ultimately, after earning free agent eligibility for the first time in November of last year, he chose a new challenge by signing a four-year contract worth up to 1 billion won with KT. Initially at KT, Han was expected to serve as a backup to Jang Seong-woo (36). However, Han appeared in 128 games during this year's regular season, recording a .234 batting average (73 hits in 312 at-bats), three home runs, 39 RBIs, and 40 runs scored. He also succeeded in 17 sacrifice bunts, far surpassing his previous single-season record for games played.

In this Korea Series, he was named the starting catcher from Game 1. He stopped Kim Ji-chan's stolen base in the top of the first inning to shut down Samsung's first offensive threat and led starter Daniel Davis to a strong outing of six innings with three runs allowed. Han explained, "At first, I thought I wasn't nervous, but when I started catching the ball, I realized I was. The tension eased after making a good play in the first inning."

Even when Samsung closed the gap to 7-8 due to a wild pitch by Park Young-hyun in the eighth inning, he endured until the end, and Park secured the win by striking out all three batters on swings-and-misses in the top of the ninth inning. Han attributed the responsibility to himself, saying, "It wasn't a sign error. (Park) Young-hyun's pitches are fast, but my reaction was slow. I believe that as a catcher, if the ball touches the glove, you should catch it even for such pitches. It was my mistake." He added, "Young-hyun's slider is good, so I called for many of them. Since we had to be careful about extra-base hits, the pitch sequence aimed to avoid long balls even if it meant taking singles."

His reflections on his first season with KT were calm. Han said, "It is a very good team. I have been happy here all year long. I was happy while preparing today as well. I will prepare well for tomorrow too."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original