The Fireworks Fighters produced a big inning in their first in-person game since the club was founded at Gudo Busan.
Episode 24 of the baseball variety show "Fireworks Baseball," released on Studio C1's official YouTube channel at 8 p.m. on the 13th, featured a pride showdown between two strong teams, the Fireworks Fighters and Busan High.
That day the Fireworks Fighters received unexpected news ahead of the game. Nippert would be out of action for about two months for personal reasons, and manager Kim Seong-geun was unable to attend the in-person game due to an acute condition. The Fighters' dugout was instantly enveloped in heavy silence, but the players soon rallied with a determined mindset to win.
The Fighters' starter was Giants legend and the Fighters' dependable pitching captain Song Seung-jun. The stadium heated up seeing him on the mound as a starting pitcher at Sajik Stadium for the first time in 2,506 days. With breaking-ball command and focus belied by his age of 45, he retired two batters and sent fans into greater excitement. Later, Song Seung-jun ended the first inning by retiring Busan High's No. 3 hitter Lee Seo-jun, who had been drafted by the Lotte Giants in the 2026 KBO rookie draft, on a fly to center after an eight-pitch duel.
Busan High deployed freshman Kim Kang-won as a secret weapon to beat the Fighters. No. 2 hitter Choi Su-hyun drew a walk to create a chance, but Sajik strongman Park Yong-taek and Giants legend Lee Dae-ho were unfortunately retired, leaving hopes for next time.
In the top of the second inning, Fighters starter Song Seung-jun faced an unexpected hurdle. Before the game, he had not expected to start and had overeaten. Perhaps for that reason, he gave up a hit to Busan High's cleanup hitter Choi Min-je and then issued a straight walk to the next batter, creating a crisis. With a pitch getting away and runners on second and third with no outs, Song Seung-jun summoned his full concentration and struck out the opposing batter. However, he could not prevent runners from advancing on a defensive miscue, and ultimately he handed the mound to Shin Jae-young with one out and the bases loaded. Shin Jae-young produced a miraculous scoreless inning in the one-out, bases-loaded situation with confident pitching and bold inside pitches.
In the bottom of the second, under the guidance of acting manager Lee Kwang-gil, who had analyzed the opposing pitcher's tendencies, the Fighters created a chance. Jung Seong-hoon and Lee Taek-geun drew consecutive walks, and Park Jae-wook drew another walk off the reliever, setting up a perfect one-out, bases-loaded situation. Kim Jae-ho then hit a sacrifice fly that brought in a run, and with Jung Seong-hoon touching home plate, the Fighters took the lead.
The Fighters succeeded in adding runs despite Busan High's pitching onslaught. In the bottom of the third, Choi Su-hyun drew another walk after his first at-bat, and "Sajik tenant" Park Yong-taek and "king of Sajik" Lee Dae-ho followed with consecutive hits to create a chance. A bases-loaded walk to No. 5 hitter Jeong E-yoon and a run-scoring double to second base by No. 7 hitter Lee Taek-geun increased the score quickly to 4-0. Fans and players cheered together at the refreshing added runs.
Episode 24 of "Fireworks Baseball" surpassed 100,000 concurrent viewers within 15 minutes of its first release. The peak concurrent viewership was 197,000.
Next week's broadcast will depict Busan High's comeback attempt to overturn the game and the Fighters' fighting spirit in response. Amid sighs of regret, it will be interesting to see whether the Fighters can hold a four-run lead and show the might of a strong team.
Meanwhile, "Fireworks Baseball" will play its 12th in-person game on the 19th at 5 p.m. at Daejeon Fighters Park against Dong-Eui Institute of Technology, the 2025 KUSF college baseball U-League regional champion from the Gyeongsang region. The game will be broadcast live on SBS Plus, allowing fans who couldn't get tickets to enjoy the on-site excitement.
The match between the Fireworks Fighters and Busan High, which will make viewers' hearts race, will be released on Studio C1's official YouTube channel at 8 p.m. on the 20th.
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