In a tough situation with a one-point lead, it couldn't be more reassuring. Kim Seo-hyun (21), the new closer of the professional baseball team Hanwha Eagles and a 160km fireballer, did not miss the save opportunity that came a week later. A clean three-up, three-down save to mark the conclusion of a dramatic comeback. The new force of Hanwha's bullpen is extraordinary.
Hanwha staged a comeback to win 7-6 against the Samsung Lions in an away game held on the 5th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League. They were trailing 1-5 until the 7th inning, but after Moon Hyun-bin's solo home run and Lee Jin-young's two-run shot in the top of the 8th, they pulled ahead with Moon Hyun-bin's dramatic three-run home run in the top of the 9th with two outs and runners on first and second.
With a one-point lead of 7-6, Hanwha brought in closer Kim Seo-hyun for the bottom of the 9th. Although he had to prepare quickly with two outs in the 9th, Kim Seo-hyun remained unshaken. He closed out the top order of Samsung in a three-up, three-down fashion, bringing the team's 7-6 comeback victory to a close and completing the escape from a four-game losing streak. At the moment of victory, Kim Seo-hyun raised his arms in triumph, marking his second save of the season.
The pitching performance was impressive. He faced Lee Jae-hyun, who reached base three times including a home run, but managed to get him to hit a ground ball to shortstop in four pitches. By overpowering him with consecutive fastballs on the first to third pitches, he disrupted Lee's timing with a slider on the fourth. He followed that by inducing a ground ball to second base off Ko Ja-wook with three consecutive fastballs, and against Kim Young-woong, he lured him with three changeups in a row. The changeup was fast, reaching a top speed of 148km, but the fastball was about 10km faster, achieving a varying speed effect. Perhaps due to this, Kim Young-woong was late on Kim Seo-hyun's fourth fastball, popping out to left field.
With 11 pitches for a three-up, three-down outcome, Kim Seo-hyun not only displayed his strong throwing but also skillfully engaged in timing battles with the batters. There was a brief moment of confusion due to a pitch communication issue after he faced the first batter, but he did not waver at all. It was a day that clearly showed his mental growth.
On the 27th of last month, existing closer Joo Hyun-sung was sent down to the second team for adjustment and Kim Seo-hyun, appointed as the new closer, earned his first save of the season on the 29th against KIA in Daejeon. Though he allowed a walk to lead-off batter Park Jae-hyun while leading 5-4 in the top of the 9th, he retired the remaining three batters to close the game. After throwing consecutive balls on the first two pitches, pitching coach Yang Sang-moon visited the mound to ease some of Kim Seo-hyun's nerves, helping him make a good first outing as a closer.
The following day, Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon noted, "At first, he seemed a bit nervous. After it became two balls, I sent (pitching coach) Yang Sang-moon to the mound to help him calm down. Although he walked the first hitter, he settled down well after that," adding, "Going into the 9th is much more pressurized than the 6th or 7th. The first time is particularly difficult, but it was good that he passed the first hurdle for both himself and the team."
From the game against LG on the 27th to this day, Kim Seo-hyun has pitched for three consecutive days, but he was forced to take a break for five days afterward. During the four-game losing streak, Hanwha struggled with a severe lineup slump and could hardly gain a lead, and Kim Seo-hyun, who could throw a fastball at 160km, remained in the bullpen without any save opportunities. Despite having a closer with such speed, Hanwha fans did not even get to see Kim Seo-hyun's face.
Eventually, on the 4th against Samsung, trailing 0-5, he was brought to the mound to check his condition with two outs in the bottom of the 8th. In his first outing in six days, he threw six pitches against Kim Young-woong, fielding a ground ball to first base and completing the check. Manager Kim Kyung-moon said, "He rested for five days but didn't throw much. If he rests that long, he could lose his feel even if he comes in when winning. To maintain his feel, I had him face just one batter." Thanks to pitching briefly the day before, Kim Seo-hyun managed to secure the one-point lead very stably with fastballs accompanied by good control.
After the game, Kim Seo-hyun remarked, "Since the players concentrated on making the comeback in the second half of the game, I really wanted to close it. I'm also happy that the entire team overcame the pressure of ending the losing streak," adding, "Personally, I feel proud because I think I'm developing since today's save was better than the previous one."
Kim Seo-hyun's save on this day was also the 1100th save in Hanwha's franchise history. It is the fifth record in KBO history. Kim Seo-hyun said, "Senior players have accumulated so many saves, and I am honored to have my name on the 1100th. I want to use this record as a stepping stone to accumulate many more saves in the future."
[OSEN]