The Fireworks Fighters staged a sincere showdown with Hanil Christian University with not an inch of concession.
In episode 33 of the baseball variety show "Fireworks Baseball," released on Studio C1's official YouTube channel at 8 p.m. on the 15th, the Fireworks Fighters and Hanil Christian University engaged in a legendary pitchers' duel with "saltwater pitching," a style that rarely gives up runs easily.
Fighters' starting pitcher Shin Jae-young could not hide his nervousness in his first-ever start for the club. In the top of the first inning, Shin Jae-young got off to a bright start by striking out the first batter looking, but he was pushed into a crisis when he allowed an infield hit and a steal to the No. 2 batter Ji Seung-gi. He quickly regained his composure and showed impressive pitching by recording consecutive strikeouts.
In the bottom of the first, Hanil Christian University brought in Park Jeong-min, who was drafted by the Lotte Giants in the 2026 KBO rookie draft. The Fighters seemed to be disrupted by Park Jeong-min's pitching tempo, but Jeong E-yoon, batting third, hit a single to open the offense. However, they failed to score the first run as the follow-up hitters failed to produce.
In the top of the second, Shin Jae-young gave up hits to Kim Min-seo and Kim Chan-yong, creating a 1-out, bases-loaded situation and putting himself in trouble. On top of that, an unexpected injury that peeled the skin off his finger compounded his problems, driving Shin Jae-young further into a corner. Eventually he issued a straight walk to the next batter and gave up the bases-loaded situation, but he even showed the fighting spirit of cutting away the peeled skin and struck out the final batter of the inning before leaving the mound.
Relieving the mound, Park Jun-young took the field for his final game as a Fighter before officially joining the Hanwha Eagles. In the top of the third, Park Jun-young shut down the opponent's attack with clean pitching. In the top of the fourth, he began shakily by issuing a walk to the leadoff batter, but he proved his worth by using his characteristic slider to strike out three consecutive batters.
In the bottom of the fifth, Hanil Christian University replaced the pitcher with Lee Geon-seung. The Fighters earned a bases-loaded chance with Jeong Geun-woo's walk, Choi Su-hyun's hit and Jeong E-yoon's walk, but they had to swallow another disappointment when the opposing first baseman Moon Jong-yoon made a superb defensive play to record the final out.
Afterward, pitching captain Song Seung-jun took charge of the mound. In the top of the sixth with two outs and a runner on first, Song Seung-jun surprised everyone by hitting the first batter with a pitch, but he soon induced a shortstop grounder to end the inning. In the top of the seventh, Song Seung-jun again faced a bases-loaded threat and entered a tense confrontation with Hanil Christian University's cleanup hitter Moon Jong-yoon, but he escaped the crisis by inducing a double play with bold pitching. The pitchers' dogged efforts to give up not a single run raised the passion of the spectators.
Next week's broadcast will feature an even fiercer, do-or-die showdown between the Fireworks Fighters and Hanil Christian University. With earnest cries of "please" heard throughout the field, it becomes intriguing whether the Fighters, facing their worst crisis, can walk toward victory and whether Hanil Christian University will defend its pride as the strongest team in college baseball. Curiosity mounts about the outcome of this match in which every pitcher available in the lineup was mobilized.
Viewers watching episode 33 of "Fireworks Baseball" reacted passionately, saying, "Shin Jae-young hurt his hand but the way he endures out of responsibility is really cool," "Hanil Christian University players' eyes are no joke. Their technical baseball is overflowing with charm," "Park Jae-wook takes care of both laughter and baseball today! Truly the home's leading lady," "Jun-young, thanks for showing a great game until the end! I hope you get the MVP!", "Today's game seems really high-level. The best game to feel the charm of baseball!", "Because of the drama made by Seung-jun hyung, my dopamine is exploding and I think I won't be able to sleep."
The classic match between the Fireworks Fighters and Hanil Christian University, whose outcome cannot be predicted until the end, will be released on Studio C1's official YouTube channel at 8 p.m. on the 22nd.
[OSEN]