Game, I split my legs KIA's fantastic defense...The third place match is on fire

Jul 03, 2025

First baseman Oh Seon-woo, who tore his legs as far as he could and snatched the ball. Photo courtesy = KIA Tigers

Shortstop Park Chan-ho thanking first baseman Oh Sun-woo. Photo courtesy = KIA Tigers

"I instinctively tore my leg to watch the game because I had to stop it unconditionally."

KIA Tigers first baseman Oh Sun-woo and shortstop Park Chan-ho defended their team's victory with fantastic defense. KIA won 3-2 against Gwangju SSG Landers on the 3rd. KIA, ranked fourth, has 43 wins, 36 losses and 3 draws in the season, 1.5 games behind Lotte Giants and LG Twins, who are tied for second.

KIA took the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning with a score of 2-2. In the bottom of the seventh inning, leadoff hitter Kim Ho-ryeong opened the door with an infield hit to the right side of the shortstop, and Kim Tae-gun's sacrifice bunt made it one out and second base. Kim Kyu-sung walks. Ko Jong-wook took a 3-2 lead by taking a timely hit to pitcher Park Si-hoo, who was changed from the first and second bases with one out.

In the top of the eighth inning, Park Chan-ho and Oh Sun-woo's good defense came out. Leading hitter Oh Tae-gon's hit went deep toward the third baseman, and shortstop Park Chan-ho did not give up and caught the ball and threw it to first base from a long distance. First baseman Oh Seon-woo tore his leg as much as possible and caught it and connected it to a ground ball to shortstop. If the two players did not work together, they would have been in crisis by sending out the leadoff hitter. Thanks to overcoming this crisis, KIA was able to keep its one-run victory.

Park Chan-ho said, `It was a defense by chance, to be honest. I just threw 'I don't know' because I couldn't catch the ball properly, but (Oh) Sun-woo caught it again. With his legs split apart, Sunwoo is so good. Our pretty Sunwoo" he smiled broadly as he explained the situation.

Oh Sun-woo said "It was the most important moment of the game today (3rd). If he missed the ball or became a safety, it would have been a difficult game because he was the center of the lineup after the leadoff batter's on-base. I thought about whether to take the throw off the base and hold it safely or watch the game without taking off my foot. It was a situation that had to be prevented unconditionally, so I instinctively tore my legs to watch the game. It was like a ball coming into my glove, and I was glad that I handled it."

KIA Tigers Park Chan-ho. Photo courtesy = KIA Tigers

KIA Tigers Oh Sun-woo. Photo courtesy = KIA Tigers

How could he rip his leg like that in a moment. There are not many cases where special first baseman can rip his legs this well. Choi Ji-min, who played as a first baseman in the Tampa Bay Rays in the U.S. Major League Baseball in the past, drew attention for frequently tearing his legs and receiving the ball.

Oh Seon-woo "I've been stretching a lot since I was young because I thought it was important to be flexible. But I can't rip my legs if I'm told to rip them slowly now. I felt like my leg was torn because I thought I had to stop it somehow in the game, and I didn't feel like it hurt" he said.

KIA will hold three consecutive weekend games against Lotte starting on the 4th. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a third-place match. KIA will put forward ace James Nail, who returned from a 10-day rest as a starting pitcher on the 4th.

Interim captain Park Chan-ho said, `It's actually the same game,' but added, `We haven't had that many ranking fights because we have a lot of young players. So, I think the tension between the players will be a little more, and I expect that the fighting will be more intense."

Oh Sun-woo said, "From tomorrow (the 4th), we are going to play against Lotte, which is important for the third place fight. I remember being strong in Lotte, so I want to play the game while focusing as much as possible. I want the team to be in third place at the end of the weekend series, and I want to finish as high as I can at the end of the first half" showed a willingness.