Kiwoom Heroes pitcher Bae Dong-hyun delivered a scoreless gem over five innings against the SSG Landers on April 1 at Incheon SSG Landers Field, earning his first professional starting victory in 1767 days and powering his team to an 11-2 rout.
Bae threw 85 pitches, surrendering five hits, one walk, and fanning four batters in a masterful outing that flipped the series momentum in Kiwoom’s favor.
Erasing Opening-Day Heartbreak
This triumph cleansed the sting of Bae’s opening-day grand slam home run against Hanwha Eagles pitcher Shim Woo-jun during last year’s matchup. Despite eight starts without a decision in the majors alongside Hanwha, Bae had struggled to secure a win.
His previous pro victory came as a reliever in 2021 with Hanwha Eagles’ Western League farm team—marking 4 years and 5 months, or precisely 1,639 days, since that second career win. The last benchmark before this 1,767-day gap occurred on May 29, 2021.
Inning-by-Inning Dominance
In the first inning, Bae unleashed a 148 km/h fastball to overwhelm SSG’s lineup, inducing a groundout from leadoff hitter Park Sung-han. He retired Eric Byrd with a center fielder’s assist, issued a walk to Kim Jae-hwan but struck out Go Myeong-jun and Choi In-geun to escape unscathed, stranding two runners.
The second saw Bae fan Han Yu-seom with a slider before another walk to Jo Hyeong-woo. He rebounded with a slider for another out on Jung Joo-hyeon. In the third, Bae navigated a two-out walk to Park Sung-han but induced double plays from Eric Byrd, Choi Jeong, and Kim Jae-hwan.
Fourth inning brought an anta to Go Myeong-jun, but Bae chained groundouts from Han Yu-seom, Choi Ji-hoon, and Jo Hyeong-woo. In the fifth, post two outs, Eric Byrd reached on an anta, but Choi Jeong whiffed on a high fastball to cap the shutout stint.
Manager’s Praise
Kiwoom manager Sung Si-jin lauded Bae postgame: “He delivered a perfect performance. He flawlessly executed his role with five scoreless innings.” Sung added, “On March 28 against Hanwha Eagles, results suffered from injury, but he overcame that slump feeling this time for sharp pitching. He’s steadily improving.”
Bae’s shutdown reinforced Kiwoom’s momentum amid sluggish team offense, signaling his evolution from ‘clumsy card’ to reliable starter. As the 2026 season unfolds, this ‘hero’ emerges as a fresh asset for Kiwoom’s majors push.
