Kiwoom Heroes' Choi Joo-hwan (37) led a dramatic comeback victory.
Kiwoom defeated the KIA Tigers 11-10 in a game on July 7 at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome during the 2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League. They overcame a 7-point deficit in the 8th inning, breaking a four-game losing streak in front of a full crowd.
The key player in the comeback victory was Choi Joo-hwan. Starting as the second baseman that day, Choi went 2-for-3 with 4 RBIs, 1 run, and 2 walks, contributing to the win. Particularly, in the bottom of the 8th with two outs and bases loaded, Choi hit a 3-RBI double against KIA's closer Jung Hae-young, becoming the hero of the decisive hit.
In a post-game interview, Choi said, "I really didn’t want to lose today. I focused all my energy at the plate like in the Korean Series and prepared for the last inning of defense. I thought we needed to win against a strong team like KIA, the defending champions, to bounce back. However, after losing two consecutive games, we were tired, but (Kim) Tae-jin hit a grand slam, revitalizing the atmosphere. I didn’t know which pitcher I would face, but I thought we just had to be confident and go for it, and it seems that our perseverance led to a good result."
Regarding his last at-bat, Choi stated, "I had no specific pitch I was targeting. I thought it was best to rely on my body's reactions." He continued, "Instead, my concentration was better than any other at-bat." He noted, "As I prepared for the plate, I calculated who might be coming up. I thought I would face (Jung) Hae-young either in the 8th or 9th inning, and I wanted to face him once."
It's rare to see a game where a team flips a 7-point deficit to achieve a comeback victory in a season. Choi expressed, "It felt like the momentum was going to come back to me. I told (Song) Seong-mun that I would somehow win. In the end, I managed to solve it, keeping my promise. Also, Seong-mun running from first to third was just like the moment we had the comeback victory in Gwangju. Just like that time, Seong-mun was there until the end, and the celebration came out huge. It was exhilarating to feel like that after a long time."
With this victory, Kiwoom successfully reversed their momentum. Choi mentioned, "I was watching the bench after hitting the comeback hit, and it seemed the players loved it more because of the green uniforms today. So, our celebration came out like coach Lee Jong-beom during the WBC. I really felt good after a long time."
With the dramatic comeback victory against KIA, breaking a four-game losing streak, Kiwoom will face the Hanwha Eagles, who have taken the league's top spot, starting on the 9th at Gocheok Dome. Choi remarked, "Hanwha is a really good team right now. I heard that pitcher Ponce has been performing exceptionally well. However, whether good or bad, we must fight and accept the results at the plate. I want to face a good pitcher head-on for a strong challenge."
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