With two outs, bases loaded and his team’s season on the line, KT Wiz shortstop Sim Woo-jun was down to his final strike against LG Twins reliever Jung Woo-young in the bottom of the 11th on Wednesday.
The score was knotted at 5-5 in Game 4 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of Seoul. The Wiz had blown a 5-3 lead in the eighth inning, and a loss in this one would have given the Twins the 3-1 series win and sent the Wiz home.
Sim then muttered to himself, “How about being the hero right here?”
Sim Woo-jun of the KT Wiz hits a single in the bottom of the 11th inning against the LG Twins in Game 4 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 9, 2024. (Yonhap)
Sim Woo-jun of the KT Wiz hits a single in the bottom of the 11th inning against the LG Twins in Game 4 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Provinc
e, on Oct. 9, 2024. (Yonhap)
Sim’s self-talk led to the walkoff infield single on the very next pitch, as the Wiz came out on top 6-5 to even the series at two games apiece and send the series to deciding Game 5 for Friday.
“I felt so much pressure taking the first pitch for a strike, and then after I fouled off the next pitch, I told myself that I should be the main guy right this moment,” Sim said. “And then I hit one off the pitcher’s glove. It was all thanks to some confidence in myself.”
It was almost an anti-climactic hit, the one that deflected off Jung’s glove and rolled into the no-man’s land between shortstop Oh Ji-hwan and second baseman Shin Min-jae. The two crashed into each other, and Kim Sang-su scored from third to end the marathon that went on for over four hours.
“I just ran to first base as hard as I could,” Sim said. “And then when I heard the roar, I just lied down on the ground.”
That was Sim’s third hit of the game. He said he was able to build some energy off his defensive plays a
t shortstop, which included a diving grab and a key forceout at second in the eighth inning.
Sim joined the Wiz in July after completing his mandatory military service. He said he has more left in his reservoir than most of his teammates who’ve been playing since Day 1.
KT Wiz players mob Sim Woo-jun (C) after Sim hit a walkoff single in the bottom of the 11th inning against the LG Twins in Game 4 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 9, 2024. (Yonhap)
KT Wiz players mob Sim Woo-jun (C) after Sim hit a walkoff single in the bottom of the 11th inning against the LG Twins in Game 4 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 9, 2024. (Yonhap)
“The postseason is hard on everyone, but I am one of the young guys here. I have no choice but to keep grinding,” the 29-year-old said. “Now that we’ve forced Game 5, we’ve got to win it no matter what. We want to keep
advancing.”
Sim’s single made a winner out of closer Park Yeong-hyun, who was sizzling in 3 1/3 perfect innings. He struck out three batters while setting a career high in innings for a single outing.
He came on with two outs and bases loaded in the top eighth, with the Twins having scored twice to tie the score at 5-5 and threatening to take the lead. Park struck out Shin Min-jae to end the threat, and the Twins managed nothing against Park, especially his hard fastballs, the rest of the way.
KT Wiz closer Park Yeong-hyun pitches against the LG Twins during Game 4 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 9, 2024. (Yonhap)
KT Wiz closer Park Yeong-hyun pitches against the LG Twins during Game 4 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 9, 2024. (Yonhap)
“I tried to end that rally first and then take it one inning at a time,” Park said. “I think that’s how
I was able to go long today. I was thinking of maybe going 1 1/3 innings at maximum, but I started feeling great as the game went on. So I told the coaches that I could go longer.”
The series decider will be Friday at the Twins’ home in Seoul, Jamsil Baseball Stadium, and Park said he will be ready to pitch even though he had just thrown 35 pitches, his third-highest total of the year.
Park wants to contribute to another piece of KBO postseason history for the Wiz. They knocked off the No. 4 seed Doosan Bears to become the first fifth seed to win the wild card round. And they are now trying to become the first team to rally from a 2-1 series deficit to win the first round.
“We’ve been beating odds all along, and I want to give my team a chance to win Game 5,” Park said. “My manager (Lee Kang-chul) told me after the game, ‘Hey, you said you’d pitch in Game 5.’ So I will try to get ready for it the best I can.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency