What on earth happened in the series of shock championships, and was possessed by the ghosts of checker Sung-beom and Jurusa Park Jung-woo?
Aug 21, 2025
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It was such a shocking defeat for the KIA Tigers.
KIA lost 10-11 against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gwangju Kia Champions Field on the 21st. One game and one game are so precious due to the fight for the round of five, but it is a huge shock to dedicate the Winning Series to Kiwoom, which is at the bottom, for two consecutive games.
It was a game that could not be blamed for one or two disappointments. Starter Kim Do-hyun failed to withstand the third inning and collapsed by allowing 10 runs. All of them are earned points, but in fact, the error-making plays of first baseman Oh Sun-woo and left fielder Kim Seok-hwan served as an excuse in the background.
Let's say the score was given. KIA did not give up and chased the game, which had been pushed to 5-11, to 10-11. And there were definitely scenes that could get the game over. But the result was defeat. What on earth happened in Gwangju. Let's look back at the two crucial scenes.
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When Kiwoom starter Mercedes, who had been playing well, went down, KIA's bat suddenly caught fire. He scored three points with consecutive timely hits by Kim Sun-bin, Choi Hyung-woo, and Na Sung-beom. Kiwoom's bullpen is completely shaken. Two outs, one base and two bases.
Here, first baseman Na Sung-bum was caught in catcher's check. While falling far from the first base, he was out in vain without being able to slide out as if he had no choice. It was a scene where Na Sung-beom could look as if he had been put in check while thinking about something else alone.
That wasn't it. Looking back on the scene, when pitcher Yoon Seok-won threw the ball, first baseman Na Sung-bum and second baseman Choi Hyung-woo made a skip motion at the same time. Because they are two slow-footed, Double Steelly was all over the place, and they started at the same time as if the operation was on the line.
The important thing is that Kiwoom's battery saw through this. Yoon Seok-won completely took the ball out, and catcher Kim Gun-hee was able to comfortably get the ball out of the first base. The timing was completely taken away, so Na Sung-beom couldn't even try with his proper ears. Na Sung-beom wasn't the only one who died doing something. However, I wonder what kind of operation it was in the 1B2S unfavorable count.
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The game ended with a really rare, absurd scene where one or two times in a whole season really didn't come out.
The nervous Kiwoom closer Cho Young-gun was shaken. He got a hit by Kim Ho-ryeong and walked Choi Hyung-woo after one out. As if he could never throw a ball to Na Sung-beom, he tried to get close to his body, but he gave up a dune. Na Sung-bum protested as if he doubted the intention, but a sacrifice fly with one out allowed the game to end with a tie and a hit. It wasn't a situation to get it right on purpose. The pressure to never be pushed to the middle by excessive tension seemed to have made such a pitch.
However, this dune became rather a `God's move' for Kiwoom and Cho Young-gun. As mentioned, the game is tied even if only the sacrifice fly is made. Kim Tae-gun pulled Cho Young-gun's low fastball well. Third baseman Kim Ho-ryeong has to think of a sacrifice fly, so wait for the base. However, second baseman Park Jung-woo's judgment was inevitably difficult. When the ball flew in a straight line, the body started reflexively. The problem is that it was too good. The ball was sucked into left fielder Lim Ji-yeol's bat. Lim Ji-yeol wasted no time throwing to second base. Park Jung-woo also returned home in a hurry, but he couldn't be faster than the ball. Kim Ho-ryeong was able to play from the moment Lim Ji-yeol caught the ball, so he couldn't reach the home before the situation happened at second base. If the second base was out, the game was over. The referee is out.
KIA manager Lee Bum-ho asked for a video review. Second baseman Kim Tae-jin's foot may have fallen. It could look like that. However, when the ball first arrived, Kim Tae-jin's foot was slightly touched, and after that, his body tilted and his foot fell. Force out if your foot touches the base while holding the ball for even 0.1 seconds. Director Lee protested fiercely, but nothing could be changed. Rather than anyone's fault, it should be sorted out that Lim Ji-yeol's accurate judgment of the situation and accurate throwing shone.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
