"It was the best slider of my life." From the nightmare of a walk-off home run in the Korea Series three years ago to three consecutive strikeouts in a one-run, 7-8 crisis! KT's guardian god is proud of his five-out save

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

"The best slider of my life kept coming out."

It was a critical crisis where an eight-run lead had been narrowed to just one run. KT Wiz closer Park Young-hyun (23) defended the first game of the Korea Series with what he described as the best slider of his career, also washing away the pain of allowing a painful walk-off home run in the Korea Series three years ago.

In Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korea Series (best-of-seven) against the Samsung Lions on the 3rd at Suwon KT Wiz Park, Park Young-hyun entered as a relief pitcher with one out and bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning. He recorded a save with perfect pitching over 1⅔ innings, allowing no runs, hits allowed, or walks, while striking out three batters.

Behind Park Young-hyun's outstanding performance, KT defeated Samsung 8-7 to seize the momentum. 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%).

KT once led 8-0, but Samsung's counterattack was fierce. Starting with Go Ja-yuk's two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning, KT gave up five runs. In the top of the eighth, they were pushed into a crisis of 8-6 with one out and bases loaded due to Kim Seong-yun's RBI hit and Kim Young-woong's walk. Ultimately, KT Manager Lee Kang-cheol (60) brought Park Young-hyun in early.

Park Young-hyun recorded a flyout to left field against Ryu Ji-hyuk, but gave up another run on a wild pitch—a high fastball that went far—against pinch hitter Kim Hyeon-jun. The score was 7-8, just one run apart. However, he barely ended the eighth inning by striking out Kim Hyeon-jun with a 150 km/h fastball for a flyout to left field.

The true value was revealed in the top of the ninth inning. Park Young-hyun threw a total of seven consecutive sliders, from the fourth pitch to first batter Lee Jae-hyun through pinch hitter Jeon Byung-woo, racking up consecutive swinging strikeouts. He also struck out the final batter, Park Seung-gyu, with a slider that dropped low and outside on a full count. The dominant three-consecutive-strikeout performance secured the 8-7 victory.

After the game, Park Young-hyun said, "Since I am a pitcher known for my fastball, batters were trying to hit fastballs, which made my slider more effective. My slider was good today, so I chose it more often than my changeup." He added with satisfaction, "It wasn't just that it gripped well; the best slider of my life kept coming out."

His chemistry with catcher Han Seung-taek (32) also shone. Han Seung-taek explained, "(Park) Young-hyun's slider was exceptionally good today. We had to be careful about extra-base hits, so our pitch selection strategy was to accept singles but avoid extra-base hits." Park Young-hyun responded, "Because (Han) Seung-taek hyung caught the ball himself and gave the signs, I trusted him and pitched accordingly."

In fact, Park Young-hyun did not let his guard down despite the eight-run lead. He revealed, "If the atmosphere shifts in an instant, you lose; that is what this series is about. I started warming up from the bottom of the seventh inning." He continued, "The moment I came up with one out and bases loaded in the eighth was the most nerve-wracking. Once I threw the ball then, some of the tension eased."

The save held special meaning for him. He has a painful memory of allowing Park Dong-won a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning while leading 4-3 in Game 2 of the Korea Series against LG Twins in 2023. At that time, KT finished as runner-up with a record of one win and four losses.

This year is different. With a regular season record of five wins, no losses, and 30 saves in 56 games, along with an ERA of 2.48, he led KT to the regular season championship. In particular, he recorded five saves and an ERA of 1.69 in six games against Samsung, and this time continued that dominance with a five-out save from the very first game of the Korea Series.

Manager Lee Kang-cheol had expressed his expectation at the media day the previous day, saying, "I hope Park Young-hyun gets four saves and receives the MVP." By responding to the manager's trust from the first game, he lived up to those expectations.

Park Young-hyun also said before the game, smiling, "I am ready to pitch in all seven games." He added, "If today's (the 3rd) game had gone against us, it would have been very difficult. By winning the first game, I think the momentum has shifted to our side." He emphasized, "There are three wins left. I must guard the back door well for us to win the championship. I am not worried about the MVP. I only desperately wish for the championship."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original