"I will focus solely on winning without being distracted."
Kia right-handed prospect Seong Yeong-tak (20) has made history for the Tigers. He pitched two perfect innings against the KT Wiz in the 2025 professional baseball game held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 19th, leading to a 5-0 victory. The team is on its first five-game winning streak of the season, setting a foothold for a run at the top of the standings. They are 4.5 games behind the first-place Hanwha Eagles.
He took the mound in the 7th inning with a lead of 5-0. He faced the heart of the order, getting Ahn Hyun-min, Lee Jeong-hun, and Rohas out on a fly ball to center, a fly ball to left, and a strikeout, respectively. With a scoreless inning, he surpassed the legend Jo Gye-hyun (13⅔) to set a record of 14⅔ innings without allowing a run in his debut. He also took the mound in the 9th, recording a strikeout against Jang Seong-u, inducing a ground ball out from Heo Gyeong-min, and a ground ball out from Moon Sang-cheol to end the game. This was the 4th best scoreless inning record in history at 15⅔ innings.
He joined Kia in the 10th round, 96th pick of the 2024 KBO rookie draft. Last year, he did not get a chance to play in the first team, but he was promoted to the first team on May 20th against Suwon KT. He immediately took the mound and pitched two scoreless innings. Until that day, he continued a streak of 12 consecutive games without allowing a run, setting a club record.
The all-time record is held by Kiwoom's Kim In-beom. He had a streak of 19⅔ innings without allowing a run from the LG game at Jamsil on August 29, 2021, to the Samsung game at Gocheok on April 26, 2024. This record was established over four years. If Seong Yeong-tak can pitch four more scoreless innings, he will tie with him. Although it is not an easy record, it is not impossible.
After the game, Seong Yeong-tak said, "I came out today and realized the record. I think I set this record by facing one batter at a time. I can't believe that I've done something that no one else has. I don't even feel the scoreless innings. It feels good to have set a record before it is broken. This is a record that will not come again. I have four more innings left, but I will focus only on winning while pitching."
He also explained the secret to his confidence in not allowing runs. "I can see that batters are struggling against my pitches at the plate, so I think I continued to pitch confidently. After all, throwing pitches that break left and right (two-seam, cutter, curve) has made it difficult for them. No matter who the batter is, I confidently threw and thought that even if I threw the two-seam in the middle, it would be enough to get outs, so I pitched with confidence."
However, he is not without challenges. "My stuff isn't powerful. I'm focusing on how much I can reduce the speed of the ball when hit. I need to have a definitive pitch that induces a swing and miss in crucial situations. I don't have such a pitch yet. I think I need to develop a winning shot. Pitching in the first team has been exciting as I've been throwing multi-innings. If given the opportunity, I would like to rotate as a starter as well."
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