“Despite a two-game stretch of consecutive appearances and 45 pitches of dedication,” he was given no opportunity at all in the following three games: The frustrated confession of the closer with 30 saves, “This time I’m truly angry. When we were runners-up in my second year, I didn’t think much about it”

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Three years ago, he crumbled on the mound. This time, he did not crumble; he did not even allow a run. Yet the result was the same. If anything, the second runner-up finish felt more frustrating. KT Wiz closer Park Young-hyun (23) ended his second Korea Series (KS) in his career in vain.

KT suffered a heavy 1-12 defeat to the Samsung Lions in Game 5 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korea Series (best-of-seven series) held on the 8th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. After winning Game 1, KT lost four consecutive games, finishing the series with a record of one win and four losses to settle for second place.

After the game, Park Young-hyun met with reporters and said, “I don’t really have any specific impressions to share, but I’m angry because we lost. I don’t know when an opportunity like this will come again, but it was a disappointing series.” He added, “This is our second time finishing as runners-up. Next time, I think we must hold onto this frustration and quietly keep pitching to win the championship.”

This year has been an unusually long season for Park Young-hyun. He ran without rest from the national team training camp in Saipan that began last January. After experiencing Korea’s advancement to the quarterfinals at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March, he entered the regular season and then traveled to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September.

At the Asian Games, he led Korea to a gold medal with a scoreless performance over three games and four innings, striking out eight batters. In the final against Japan, he took the mound from the first out of the eighth inning and pitched 1⅔ scoreless innings. He recorded an ERA of 0.00 in his second Asian Games appearance, following the 2022 Hangzhou Games.

He was equally consistent with his home team. In the regular season, he posted a record of seven wins, no losses, and 30 saves in 56 games, with an ERA of 2.48. He recorded 65 strikeouts over 61⅔ innings. After winning the saves championship with 35 saves last year, he achieved 30 saves for the second consecutive year, supporting KT’s first-place finish in the regular season.

During Korea Series preparation training last month, he emphasized, “No one acknowledges second place. We must absolutely win first.” Ahead of Game 1 as well, he burned with determination for the championship, saying, “I am ready to pitch in all seven games.” KT Manager Lee Kang-cheol (60) also expressed his expectation, saying, “I hope Park Young-hyun takes home the MVP with four saves.”

In fact, Park Young-hyun fulfilled his role. In Game 1 on the 3rd, he took the mound in the top of the eighth inning with KT trailing 6-8 and the bases loaded with one out. Although he gave up one run on a wild pitch, he pitched 1⅔ scoreless innings on 22 pitches, allowing no hits and striking out three batters to preserve an 8-7 victory.

After the game, Manager Lee Kang-cheol expressed satisfaction, saying, “The best slider of my life kept coming out.” He added, “There are three wins left from here. I must guard the back door well for us to win the championship. I am not concerned about the MVP. I only desperately wish for the title.”

He was called up again in the top of the eighth inning with one out in Game 2 on the 4th. Despite throwing 22 pitches the previous day, he recorded 1⅔ scoreless innings on 23 pitches, allowing two hits and striking out one batter. He accounted for five outs in consecutive games. However, despite his strong pitching, KT lost 2-3 in the bottom of the 12th inning of extra innings. The game tilted after Park Young-hyun left the mound and KT allowed runs.

It is likely that no one knew it would be his last appearance. KT lost Game 3 by a score of 1-5 and Game 4 by a score of 5-10. In the final Game 5, even the defense collapsed, resulting in a heavy 1-12 defeat. A situation suitable for the closer to enter did not even arise.

Park Young-hyun’s final Korea Series record was one save in two games, with 3⅓ scoreless innings. In the last three games where the series was truly decided, he never took the mound; he ended up merely warming up his body in the bullpen.

It was a different kind of pain from three years ago. In 2023, his second year as a professional, Park Young-hyun recorded one loss and one save with an ERA of 4.91 in four games against the LG Twins in the Korea Series. He allowed two runs over 3⅔ innings. In particular, in Game 2, he allowed a go-ahead two-run home run to Park Dong-won in the bottom of the eighth inning while KT led 4-3, setting the stage for a 4-5 defeat.

At that time, he bore the responsibility for the loss. However, this year, despite growing into the most reliable pitcher, he had to watch his team’s losing streak from the dugout. Park Young-hyun confessed, “I was runners-up once in my second year as well, but I didn’t think much about it then. But getting hit like this today makes me feel very bad and truly angry.”

While acknowledging Samsung’s championship, he did not hide his regret. Park Young-hyun said, “I wanted to go out at any time, but I didn’t think the situation would change just because I went out in front of them.” He added, “Samsung was far better than us in terms of desperation and momentum. I truly believe they are a great team.”

Finally, Park Young-hyun said, “I am grateful to the fans who came in such large numbers, surprisingly so, whether at home or away games.” He vowed, “I will now shake off this frustration and prepare well for next season’s campaign. I will do my best with the same mindset of fulfilling my role as before.”

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original