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Kia Tigers' new closer Seong Yeong-tak (22) pitched a perfect outing that did not create any danger and led to a tie. In the Gwangju game against the Lotte Giants held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on June 26, 2026, he showed power by retiring batters over 2 innings with 5 strikeouts, allowing 1 hit and no runs.
Trailing 2-5, in the bottom of the 7th, sparked by Oh Seon-woo's go-ahead two-run homer, who was promoted to the first team that day, they closed the gap to one run. In the bottom of the 9th, they had a bases-loaded opportunity with one out against Lotte closer Choi Jun-Yong, and on a grounder to second by pinch-hitter Go Jong-wook, the opposing second baseman Han Tae-yang made an error, barely managing to bring the game back to even.
Han Jun-soo hit into a 1-4-3 double play from a bases-loaded, one-out, walk-off chance, sending the game into extra innings. Jung Hae-young had held the 9th, so Seong Yeong-tak took the mound in the 10th. He froze the tough hitter Reyes with a three-pitch strikeout. Shin Yun-ho also hit a grounder to shortstop, but because Kim Gyu-seong, the shortstop, failed to field Han Dong-hee's batted ball, a runner reached first.
Undeterred, he bravely threw pitches to strike out Park Seung-uk on a swinging strike. In the 11th inning of extra play, he struck out all three batters — Jeon Min-jae, Son Seong-bin and Han Tae-yang — on swinging strikes. He mixed cutters and curveballs appropriately to induce swings. It was a spectacular 5K multi-inning closing performance. The day before, he had also entered in the 8th inning with two outs, cleanly getting four outs and preserving a 4-3 victory. It was his first one-run save.
The secret to the flurry of strikeouts was a cutter that broke in front of hitters, a two-seam fastball and a curveball. The two-seam was around 145–146 km/h, and the cutter about 134–136 km/h, creating a noticeable difference. It was a pitch that forced hitters to swing. A closer's most important ability is to strike batters out. Although his top speed was 146 km/h, he erased outs with excellent movement and command.
Seong Yeong-tak's closing philosophy was also firm. "For a closer, stuff is the most important. The mindset that if I go out I'll win is important. I'll work hard. Being a closer is cool. Being a closer doesn't just come from high velocity. I pay attention to command while trying to throw harder. My average velocity is rising and my stuff is gradually improving," he said, showing confidence. A new miracle drama called "10-round closer" is currently being enthusiastically screened.
The game ultimately ended in a 5-5 tie. Lotte's closer Choi Jun-Yong also entered in the 8th and threw two innings, but in the bottom of the 9th a costly error allowed the tying run. However, 33-year-old Hyun Do-hoon appeared from the 10th, giving up only two walks while pitching effectively without allowing runs. In the bottom of the 11th with one out and runners on first and second, Oh Seon-woo threw a forkball for a swinging strikeout, and Kim Gyu-seong also used a forkball to induce a grounder to shortstop. Like Seong Yeong-tak, he did not allow a run and received applause. /sunny@osenc.o.kr
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