Seong Yeong-tak has continued his record of 17⅓ consecutive scoreless innings in his debut.

On the 21st, Seong Yeong-tak appeared in relief in a game against the SSG Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field during the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League,' recording 1⅔ innings with 1 hit, 1 strikeout, and no runs.

KIA was leading 5-3 when closer Jeong Hae-young took the mound in the bottom of the 9th inning but allowed the game to tie at 5-5. Eventually, in a situation with one out and runners on first and second, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho made the bold decision to replace Jeong Hae-young with second-year rookie pitcher Seong Yeong-tak, who was making his debut in the first team this year. Seong Yeong-tak allowed a sharp hit to pinch hitter Jeong Jun-jae, but second baseman Kim Kyu-min made a diving catch on the line drive, securing an important out. Following that, he gave up a hit to Park Seong-han, but this time right fielder Choi Won-jun made a strong home throw to tag out Guillermo Heredia, who was rushing home from second base, preventing a walk-off loss.

In the ensuing extra innings, Seong Yeong-tak continued to pitch in the 10th inning. After narrowly escaping a crisis in the 9th inning with help from his teammates, Seong Yeong-tak handled leadoff hitter Lee Ji-young with a ground ball to shortstop, and struck out Choi Jun-woo with a swinging strikeout. Seok Jeong-woo caught a pop-up to shortstop, producing a neat three-up, three-down inning. In the 11th inning, with the tie still intact, he was replaced by Lee Ho-min, finishing his appearance for the day. The game ended in a 5-5 draw.

Seong Yeong-tak, who joined KIA as the 10th-round (96th pick) selection in the 2024 rookie draft, did not blossom immediately. He finished his first year without stepping onto the first team mound, only playing in the Futures League, where he recorded 2 wins, 2 losses, and 2 holds with an earned run average of 4.05 over 23 games (40 innings). This year, he also started the season in the second team and recorded 1 win, 1 hold, and an earned run average of 4.97 over 13 games (25⅓ innings) in the Futures League.

Since his call-up to the first team on the 20th of last month, Seong Yeong-tak has been showing remarkable performance. This season, he has recorded 1 hold and an earned run average of 0.00 over 13 games (17⅓ innings). On the 19th against KT, he pitched 2 innings with 2 strikeouts, setting a record of 15⅔ consecutive scoreless innings in his debut, breaking the club's previous record of 13⅔ innings set by Jo Gye-hyeon in 1989. In this game, he extended the record to 17⅓ innings, surpassing the 16⅓ innings set by Park No-jun in 1986 and ranking third all-time. The only pitchers with longer scoreless innings than Seong Yeong-tak are Jo Yong-jun in 2002 (18 innings) and Kim In-beom in 2024 (19⅔ innings).

In an interview on the 21st, Seong Yeong-tak said, "When I search on social media or the internet, even if I try not to think about the record, it keeps appearing. It does bother me a bit," adding, "I actually didn't know about the club record until that morning when some club officials told me about it, and I searched and found out. At the time, hot player (Ahn) Hyeon-min was at bat, and after throwing a strike on the first pitch, I felt that I could get him out. Since I played with Hyeon-min at the same school, it made me feel more at ease, and I think that's why I was able to go in with confidence," reflecting on the situation when he achieved the club record.

Manager Lee Beom-ho stated that he would use Seong Yeong-tak as a pitcher close to the squad for key games. If one or two of the three key pitchers are unable to pitch, there may be opportunities for holds or saves for Seong Yeong-tak. He remarked, "It definitely seems like the score difference is not too much, and if the team is winning, the cheers from the fans are louder, and the tension rises, making it more enjoyable. If given that opportunity, I would focus more on every single pitch and throw it," expressing his anticipation for pitching in crucial moments.

As the record for the most consecutive scoreless innings in a debut is within reach, Seong Yeong-tak commented, "I'll try to challenge it, but I don't want to get too obsessed with the record. I just think that if I throw comfortably without focusing on the record, I might be able to handle around 4 innings well," and smiled.

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