Professional baseball player Kim Kwang-hyun (37) of the SSG Landers pitched well but was faced with a loss.
Kim Kwang-hyun made his start in the game against the Lotte Giants at the Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 14th in the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League,' recording 6 innings with 4 hits allowed (1 home run), 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs.
In the top of the 1st inning, after catching lead-off batter Son Ho-young out with a pop-up to first base, Kim Kwang-hyun struck out Go Seung-min and Víctor Reyes in succession, perfectly closing the inning. In the 2nd inning, he also got lead-off batter Jeon Jun-woo out on a ground ball to shortstop, but allowed the first run by giving up a solo home run to Kim Min-sung. He gave up a hit to Jeon Min-jae but kept the additional runs from scoring by retiring Jung Hoon and Jeung Bo-keun on pop-ups.
In the 3rd inning, after walking lead-off batter Kim Dong-hyeok, Kim Kwang-hyun induced a 5-4-3 double play from Son Ho-young and handled Go Seung-min with a ground ball to second base, finishing the inning without major difficulties. In the 4th inning with one out, he allowed Jeon Jun-woo to reach on a throwing error by shortstop but induced a double play from Kim Min-sung.
Kim Kwang-hyun allowed Jeon Min-jae, the lead-off batter, to reach base due to a catcher error, after SSG tied the game 1-1 in the 5th inning. However, he prevented a stolen base to second, and retired Jung Hoon on a ground ball to third base and Jeung Bo-keun on a strikeout to end the inning. In the 6th inning, he quickly recorded 2 outs but gave up the lead after a walk to Go Seung-min and a hit to Reyes, allowing a 1-RBI single to Jeon Jun-woo. Kim Min-sung was caught on a strikeout, keeping the inning scoreless.
Kim Kwang-hyun, who threw 88 pitches, was replaced by Lee Roong in the 7th inning, as SSG trailed 1-2. He threw a slider (41 pitches), changeup (24 pitches), fastball (15 pitches), and curveball (8 pitches), with a top speed reaching 146 km/h. His strike rate was 64.8%.
Before the game, where Choo Shin-soo's retirement ceremony was held, Kim Kwang-hyun noted in an interview on the 13th, "There is a lot of pressure. I don't remember being the starting pitcher in someone else's retirement game. I've had experiences in the Korean Series, with the national team, and in opening games, but a retirement game is a first for me. Since I am of an age where I understand everything, I will pitch hard with that pressure." Showing a firm determination, Kim Kwang-hyun fulfilled his role adequately but left with regrets as he did not receive scoring support from the lineup. If the game ends this way, Kim Kwang-hyun would record his 7th loss of the season.
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