'Season 1-game high of 2 walks → 5 walks in the Korea Series': Even So Hyoung-jun crumbled! ERA of 8.10 excluding Park Young-hyun — how much longer must KT's starting pitchers endure? [KS4 On-site Report]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Even KT Wiz's So Hyoung-jun (25), who had been strong in big games, fell into an unbelievable control crisis. The Samsung Lions' powerful lineup and the hitter-friendly Daegu Samsung Lions Park, along with a bullpen that has rarely inspired confidence, have placed an increasingly heavy burden on KT's starting pitchers.

So Hyoung-jun started the third game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korea Series (best-of-seven) held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 6th, pitching six innings with three hits allowed, five walks, six strikeouts, and four runs allowed, taking the loss. KT lost to Samsung 1-5, falling behind in the series 1-2.

It was a performance completely different from So Hyoung-jun's usual form. In 23 games during this year's regular season, So Hyoung-jun recorded a 10-3 record with an ERA of 3.15, issuing only 24 walks in 131⅓ innings. His single-game high for walks was also just two.

Moreover, So Hyeong-jun has been particularly strong in the postseason. He pitched six scoreless innings in the 2021 Korea Series, contributing to KT's first championship in franchise history. Prior to this third game, he had a career postseason record of eight games, three wins, no losses, one hold, and an ERA of 1.48, earning his reputation as a "big-game pitcher."

So Hyeong-jun wavered from the top of the first inning, issuing one walk. In the bottom of the second, he allowed consecutive walks to Lee Jae-hyun and Ryu Ji-hyuk, and also walked Kim Ji-chan, creating a bases-loaded crisis. He ultimately gave up a two-run triple to Koo Ja-wook, falling behind 1-4. Allowing three walks in just the second inning tied the all-time Korea Series record for the most walks in a single inning.

KT manager Lee Kang-cheol (60) expressed regret after the game, saying, "So Hyeong-jun is not the type of pitcher who throws that kind of walk, but his balance collapsed in the first and second innings, so it seems we lost the early battle."

However, from the second out of the bottom of the second inning through the sixth, So Hyeong-jun retired 13 consecutive batters on groundouts or flyouts. Once he regained his control, Samsung's hitters struggled to make contact. Manager Lee explained, "I judged that there was no pitcher better than So Hyeong-jun, so I had no intention of replacing him early."

This reveals another concern for KT: the pitching staff situation makes it difficult to replace a starter easily, even when he is struggling. In the first game, KT led 8-0 before their bullpen collapsed, resulting in a nail-biting 8-7 victory. Logan Allen, Kim Jung-won, and Oh Won-seok all gave up runs in succession, forcing the team to call closer Park Young-hyun with one out and the bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning.

The same pattern emerged in the second game. Starter Ko Yeong-pyo pitched well for seven innings, allowing only one run, and Park Young-hyun held on for 1⅔ scoreless innings, but they gave up a run again in the 10th inning of extra innings. In the 12th inning, a defensive error compounded the issues, leading to a 2-3 loss.

Across the two games, Park Young-hyun recorded 3⅓ scoreless innings, while the rest of the relief corps allowed six runs (five earned) in 4⅔ innings. The instability continued in the third game as well. Son Dong-hyun pitched one scoreless inning and Bae Je-seong held on for ⅔ scoreless innings, but Kim Jung-won wavered again, allowing one run in ⅓ of an inning.

Through the third game, KT's bullpen excluding Park Young-hyun has allowed seven runs (six earned) in 6⅔ innings, for an ERA of 8.10. While Park Young-hyun alone accounted for 10 outs, the rest of the relief corps managed only 20 outs.

This structure inevitably places a heavy burden on starting pitchers. Samsung boasts a powerful lineup featuring Kim Ji-chan, Kim Seong-yoon, Koo Ja-wook, Choi Hyeong-woo, and Lewin Diaz. At Lions Park, where home runs are frequent, even one off-pitch can be fatal.

Furthermore, if the bullpen that must take over after the starter leaves is also unstable, the pressure to pitch long innings increases. To make matters worse, with key hitters suffering a wave of injuries, KT's starting pitchers have been forced to take on more outs.

KT will name Logan as the starter for the fourth game, scheduled for 2 p.m. on the 7th at the same venue. How long Logan can pitch will determine KT's bullpen strategy, especially after he collapsed in the first game when he appeared as a reliever, allowing two runs in ⅓ of an inning before returning to the rotation. After the third game, Manager Lee expressed hope, saying, "Our bullpen has been used sparingly, so I expect them to perform well tomorrow."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original