No Ball, Two Strikes! Historic 10 Strikeouts
"No ball, two strikes! He throws the ball! Ah! Doesn't swing and watches it! Result: looking strikeout! Seo Tae-woong grabs another strikeout!"
"He fooled the batter!"
"That was purely from pitch sequencing. If he'd swung, a long ball might've been tough, but he could've fouled it off. Not sure if the sign came from the dugout, the catcher, or Seo Tae-woong himself, but the Wiz are playing some smart baseball here. A looking strikeout achieved solely through control and sequencing."
Tae-woong had dealt with the tricky leadoff hitter of the inning, easing the pressure. An Chi-ho trudged back to the dugout, eyes glued to the ground, seemingly berating himself for getting so easily punked by a rookie.
Next up: No. 8 hitter Kim Sung-bin. At 165cm, the pint-sized batter with a sharp eye was a pesky one to face. Small-statured hitters often get a tighter strike zone, which can trouble pitchers with shaky control—but for Tae-woong, with his top-tier command, it was no big deal.
Tae-woong stayed sharp, methodically targeting the batter's weaknesses. Kim Sung-bin's vulnerabilities surprisingly included pitches right down the middle and deep inside ones that worked against everyone. But his real nemeses were the two-seam fastball and slider. Conversely, he feasted on changeups, splitters, and four-seam fastballs. Plus, his batting average against lefties last season was a scorching .421. In other words, the southpaw starter had a glaring weakness exposed from the jump.
One of the toughest hitters Tae-woong would face today. No way he wanted to drag this at-bat out.
The catcher, no surprise, called for a big-breaking curve diving into the body right off the bat.
Crack! The first pitch fouled off, barely missing the first-base bag.
'He fouled that off?'
Even a chest-high curve dropping hard, and the batter didn't bail—instead, he timed it awkwardly just enough. A touch better timing, and it'd have been a sure hit.
'If the bat had come a bit slower, that could've been squared up...'
Seemed like he'd worked on his weaknesses in the offseason; he wasn't going down easy.
Pitch two: a four-seam fastball just off the outside corner.
'Swing and it's probably a grounder to the infield or a shallow fly... Worth a toss.'
Kim Sung-bin spotted the pitch tailing out of the zone and pulled back, earning the expected ball call.
Pitch three: a two-seam fastball boring low and in on the hands. Not much zip on the pitch itself, but the nasty location gave Tae-woong confidence.
Thwack! The ball rattled the netting down the right-field line. Another foul.
One bait pitch and two fouls: count now 1-2.
'Let's see you hit this one!'
And Tae-woong's next offering? His putaway: a high outside curve.
Whoosh!
From the righty's view, it looked like it was sailing in from way out wide. Tough to gauge where it'd bury. For the already short Kim Sung-bin, the curve leaving Tae-woong's hand appeared even higher and farther. Plus, clocking around 74km/h—the slowest in the KBO by far.
The big-drop curve hung right on the edge of the high-outside corner.
Timing stolen, Kim Sung-bin watched it approach, flinched with his bat, but Tae-woong's curve had already vanished into the catcher's mitt.
'Too late! Damn...'
"Strikeout!"
"Nice!"
Two .300 hitters down in a flash via looking Ks.
"Back-to-back looking strikeouts. 120km/h fastballs, 100km/h changeups, and curves over 40km/h slower! Showing the vets what pitch mix really means."
"Two Ks already in the 7th. That makes nine over seven innings. And now... check the graphics. Debut game 10K club: 1. Sun Dong-yeol, 2. Park Dong-hee, 3. Ryu Han-jin, 4. ?"
"10 strikeouts in a 1st-team debut! Just the third in KBO history since 1982!"
"Can Seo Tae-woong claim that fourth spot marked with a question? The streak ended in 2006—I'm dying to see if it continues!"
"Stick with us, folks, as history unfolds! Hoping for a new rookie ace."
Unlike the hyped-up broadcasters buzzing about a new rookie ace, Tae-woong stayed cool. Sure, it was a big record. But while hitters headed to the dugout after their at-bats, the starter still had work to do. No time to sweat the milestones mid-game.
"Tigers' No. 9, Kim Man-sik, steps in."
"7th inning now, pitch count climbing—easy matchup for a tiring starter compared to the others."
"But Kim Man-sik always delivers in clutch spots. Could be his last at-bat. Let's see."
Up to the plate: No. 9 Kim Man-sik. Defensive catcher, shortstop, second baseman, center fielder... "Defensive" types dominate positions where glove work trumps bat. Usually means they're hitting gimps.
And Kim Man-sik? Fans occasionally dubbed him the rare "defensive catcher who actually swings the bat sometimes."
"Defensive" was just a polite euphemism that cracked people up when you thought about it. Like calling pitchers "fireballers." Tons got that label, but ones with actual control? Rare as hen's teeth.
Past Tae-woong knew that half-baked pitcher pain better than most.
Sure, catching demanded elite defense, but a limp bat meant wasting an offensive chance for the team. In the KBO, catchers often slotted into the bottom third (7-8-9). That's 2-3 of 27 outs per game gone. Bliss for the defense and pitcher: breather time.
'Tough stretch, but perfect. Let's cruise through.'
Last at-bat: two fouls off a big curve, then high outside fastball for three swinging. No plans to grind this one either.
First pitch: curve dropping from a tad high in the zone.
That prior high fastball still fresh in his mind. Plus, Tae-woong had nuked first-pitch strikes all day. Tigers hitters were hunting them aggressively—and Kim Man-sik swung hard too.
But by swing time, the ball was plummeting. No chance to clip what looked like a high fastball.
Swoosh!
"Strike!"
Right after the catcher snagged it, pitch two followed fast. Kim Man-sik whiffed hilariously on the curve.
'Keep the tempo quick in spots like this...!'
No time for the batter to think: low inside to the lefty with a four-seam fastball. Modest velo but solid life, great angle into the hands. And Kim Man-sik's .246 vs. lefties in 2017? No square-up likely.
Right on cue.
Kim Man-sik dropped the bat, figuring it missed... but...
"Striiike!"
Ump called the edge. No ball, two strikes in a blink.
Catcher Lee Hye-chan fed the ball back quick, matching Tae-woong's tempo. In 0-2 counts, Tae-woong loved dropping curves outside—and this was no different.
Count stacked against him, the batter overthought, lost composure. Ball dived outside and down right in his grill.
Plop! Caught in front of the catcher's left knee.
Whoosh! Bat sliced empty air again.
"Strike three!"
Tenth K!
Scoreboard Alert
Congratulations on the Record!
Sun Dong-yeol | Park Dong-hee | Ryu Han-jin | Seo Tae-woong
"Seo Tae-woong! 7 IP, 10 Ks, 1 ER! Fourth member of the KBO debut 10K club!"
"And with a fastball topping just 125km/h!"
"That big-drop curve offsets its slow speed perfectly."
Seniors who'd been watching from the pen rushed over with congrats. Tae-woong tipped his cap coolly to the crowd.
'This look? Even I gotta admit, it's ridiculously cool.'
Bottom 7th, post-record. Pitch count nearing 110. Tae-woong had gone deep, kept runs low—done his job. Teammates mobbed him as he hit the dugout.
Wiping sweat with a towel, he looked up to see coach Jeong Myeong-eon approach.
"Tae-woong, congrats on the record. Here's your keepsake ball. Stuff looked a bit flat—call it a day?"
"Yes, Coach. Thanks for looking out."
Tae-woong accepted; no need to push it.
Eighth and ninth: bullpen allowed just one hit but preserved the win.
'Ahem, shoulders back, tip the cap smooth... perfect.'
Tae-woong was clapping for the finishing vets when Ace popped up beside him.
Mission in the bag, tension gone—room for other thoughts.
'MVP interview, huh...'
Never done a postgame player interview as a pro. Couldn't hide the thrill.
'Everything's great... if only you weren't here.'
"Oh? Manager's waving me over quick. I'm out! MVP incoming!"
As expected, game's Player of the Match: record-setting debutant Seo Tae-woong.
Now, the MVP interview. Always envied it on TV; now his turn. Felt surreal and joyful.
'Me, interviewing!'
Couldn't contain the excitement.
"Seo Tae-woong, congrats! Nailed your debut and etched your name in history. How's it feel?"
"Thanks! Thrilled, and honored to join those legendary seniors."
"Great! And your battery mate, the catcher..."
The standard Q&A rolled on for another 4-5 questions.