The season's first earned run for Hanwha Eagles' elite closer Kim Seo-hyun (21) directly resulted in a loss. A hit from KT Wiz foreign hitter Mel Rojas Jr. (35) handed Kim Seo-hyun his first run and loss simultaneously.
On the 25th, Kim Seo-hyun made his appearance in a home game against KT at the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Hanwha Life Park in Daejeon, allowing 1 hit, 2 walks, and 1 run over 1 inning in relief in the 9th inning. With Hanwha losing 1-2, Kim Seo-hyun received his first loss of the season.
Before this game, Kim Seo-hyun had been on a run of 13 games and 11⅔ innings without allowing an earned run this season. Emerging as 'Mr. Zero,' he had established himself as the closer but allowed his first earned run that day. The walks turned out to be the seeds of the earned run.
Kim Seo-hyun, who gave a walk to the leading batter Yoo Jun-kyu after 5 pitches, allowed another walk to Kwon Dong-jin in a situation with 1 out and runners on 1st and 3rd base, following a ground ball to 3rd by Bae Jung-dae. Again, it was a walk issued after 5 pitches.
After stacking runners on 1st and 2nd base with 1 out, the next batter was Rojas. After two sliders missed the zone, he fell into an unfavorable count. On the third pitch, a fastball clocked at 153 km/h was thrown low and outside, which Rojas pulled. It became a timely hit that escaped past the right fielder, leading to KT's 2-1 victory. This was the moment Kim Seo-hyun's first earned run directly resulted in a loss.
After the game, Rojas noted, "Kim Seo-hyun, who pitched against us, had been showing great form as a closer, so I prepared by watching a lot of pitching videos. Today, the ball was good, so I focused on producing balls in play rather than hitting long balls. I was definitely looking for a fastball, and I was lucky to get one at the end, and it resulted in a good outcome."
There was another reason Rojas was more focused at the plate. He mentioned, "Before the game, in a broadcast preview show, the league's Mr. Zero players included Son Dong-hyun (KT) and Kim Seo-hyun. Since Son Dong-hyun was the first to bat, I concentrated on facing Kim Seo-hyun as a teammate," referring to Son Dong-hyun, who ended his own scoreless streak that day.
Up to that day's appearance, Son Dong-hyun had been maintaining a scoreless record this season. He had a 0.00 earned run average with 0 runs allowed over 15 games and 15⅓ innings. However, he entered the game in the 7th inning with a 1-0 lead but allowed a solo home run to No Si-hwan after 1 out. A fastball clocked at 146 km/h turned into a high mistake down the middle, leading to his first earned run of the season and a blown save.
After Son Dong-hyun's scoreless record was broken, Rojas had an even stronger desire to stop Kim Seo-hyun's Mr. Zero streak. As a result, thanks to Rojas' decisive hit, Son Dong-hyun earned his 3rd win of the season. Although he gave up a tying shot to No Si-hwan, he had 2 innings with 2 hits and 1 run allowed through the 8th inning, accounting for a multi-inning outing. In the 9th inning, closer Park Young-hyun overcame a 1 out, 1st and 2nd base crisis and secured the victory for Son Dong-hyun.
After the game, Son Dong-hyun expressed his apologies to starting pitcher So Hyung-jun by bowing with both hands. He felt guilty for not being able to protect So Hyung-jun's qualification for the win, who had pitched six innings, allowing 1 hit, 1 walk, and striking out 10 without allowing any runs. However, So Hyung-jun said, "I feel better that the team broke the losing streak rather than my win. I think (Son) Dong-hyun will handle it well next time such a situation arises, so I don't have much regret."
After ending their two-game losing streak, KT climbed from 5th to 4th place with a record of 14 wins, 12 losses, and 1 tie (winning percentage .538). KT manager Lee Kang-cheol praised, "Starter So Hyung-jun pitched really well and set the stage for victory. Son Dong-hyun and Park Young-hyun, who came in afterward, managed to hold it down in tight situations. On offense, Kwon Dong-jin's run-scoring hit brought us the momentum. Although we allowed a tying run later, the hitters showed focus in the last chance. Rojas' added run allowed us to secure the victory."
On the other hand, Hanwha's upward momentum was dulled as they suffered two consecutive losses after an eight-game winning streak. With a record of 15 wins and 13 losses (winning percentage .536), they fell from 2nd to 5th place. It is disappointing that Kim Seo-hyun's first earned run directly resulted in a loss, but it will eventually be a recorded run and loss that he will have to face at some point. After allowing that first run, Kim Seo-hyun did not allow additional runs, handling a ground ball from Kim Min-hyuk in a situation with 2 outs and runners on 2nd base due to an out on the bases. Although he suffered a loss, his season earned run average remains strong at 0.71.
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