Blake Snell, the Dodgers' ace left-handed pitcher, expressed the joy of an eight-inning shutout performance in the National League Championship Series with Son Heung-min (LAFC)'s "chalgak" celebration, drawing attention.
The Los Angeles Dodgers posted a photo of Snell on the club's official SNS account after their 2-1 victory in Game 1 of the 2025 Major League Baseball postseason National League Championship Series (best-of-seven) against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the 14th (KST).
In the photo, Snell is doing South Korean soccer star Son Heung-min's trademark "chalgak" celebration. The Dodgers tagged Son Heung-min in the post and left a witty comment, "Snell's perfect celebration. What do you think, Son Heung-min?"
Son Heung-min signed with LAFC in August and later served as the ceremonial first pitch thrower at a Dodgers home game in the same market, where he first connected with Snell. At that time, the player who received Son Heung-min's first pitch was Snell. Later, Snell visited an LAFC home game with Kim Hye-seong to cheer for Son Heung-min, deepening their friendship. Son Heung-min and Snell were both born in 1992.
The Dodgers also uploaded a video message from Snell on their SNS that day, in which Snell performed the "chalgak" celebration and said, "Sonny, we keep thinking about you. See you soon."
Son Heung-min responded to Snell's celebration. Son Heung-min joked on the post, "You do the pose better than I do? Don't steal mine," and Snell replied, "No comparison. You're the best," showing playful chemistry.
Snell started Game 1 of the championship series against Milwaukee and delivered an overpowering performance: eight innings, one hit, no walks, 10 strikeouts, no runs, and 103 pitches, leading the team to a 2-1 victory. Snell became a Dodger in a blockbuster five-year, $182 million contract (about 259.6 billion won) before the 2025 season and fully showcased his worth on the fall stage.
MLB.com honored the masterful pitching, noting, "Snell retired 17 consecutive Milwaukee batters and faced the minimum batters (24) over eight innings. This was the first time since Don Larsen's World Series perfect game in 1956 that a pitcher faced the minimum batters over eight innings in the postseason."
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