“Kim Byung-hyun’s home run? There aren’t many players I remember from that time…” The nightmare summoned from 22 years ago, Arizona has forgotten

 It was a game that reminded me of Kim Byung-hyun’s (44) World Series nightmare 22 years ago. The Arizona Diamondbacks, who made it to the World Series for the first time in 22 years, missed out on a victory due to a painful blown save by their trusted closer, Paul Seawald (33). 굿모닝토토 주소

Arizona suffered a 5-6 shutout loss in the first game of the 2023 Major League World Series (WS-Best of 7) against the Texas Rangers held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, USA on the 28th. After allowing a tying two-run shot to Corey Seager in the 9th inning, he hit a walk-off home run to Aroldis Garcia in the 11th and bowed out. 

It was an unbelievable loss for Arizona. They took a 5-3 lead before the bottom of the 9th inning, putting Sea World on the verge of victory. Before taking the mound on this day, SeaWorld had recorded 1 win, 6 saves in 8 postseason games this fall, and had a zero ERA. He gave up only 3 hits and 1 walk in 8 innings. His pitching was also very good, with 11 strikeouts. He was described as an impregnable finisher. 

But his scoreless streak ended in his World Series debut. That too was a fatal blow. The trouble was that he was suddenly sent to first base with four consecutive balls after catching a first-pitch strike from leadoff hitter Leo Di Taveras. He struck out the next batter, Marcus Siemian, on three pitches, but the first pitch, a 93.6 mph (150.6 km) four-seam fastball thrown to Corey Seager, went high toward the body and ended up being a missed throw. 

There was no way Seager could have missed it, and the batted ball went well over the right wall. The score is tied 5-5. SeaWorld’s first run of the postseason ended up being a tying home run. Afterwards, SeaWorld allowed Garcia to hit a ball to the body and steal second base, and then filled first base with Mitch Garber with an automatic intentional fourth pitch. He struck out Austin Hedges on three pitches and was out of danger, but the game completely shifted to Texas. 

Arizona replaced pitcher with Miguel Castro after Kyle Nelson, who came up in the 10th inning, blocked the pitcher with one out in the 11th inning. However, Castro was hit by the first batter, Garcia, who hit a walk-off solo home run that went over the right field fence. Garcia hit a 96.7 mph (155.6 km) sinker in the middle of Castro’s fifth pitch. Texas’ 6-5 comeback win. It was a shock loss for Arizona. 

This is the second time Arizona has hit a walk-off home run in the World Series. The first was Korean pitcher Kim Byung-hyun, who allowed it in Game 4 of the World Series against the New York Yankees in 2001. At the time, Byung-Hyun Kim showed off his power in the Division Series and Championship Series, earning 3 saves in 4 games and allowing no runs in 6.1 innings, but failed in the World Series. 

In Game 4 held at Yankee Stadium, Byung-Hyun Kim, who came in early in the 8th inning with a 3-1 lead, gained momentum by striking out 3 batters in a row, but committed a blown save after Tino Martinez hit a tying two-run home run in the 9th inning with 2 outs and runners on first base. He was on the mound until the 10th inning, but collapsed after being hit by Derek Jeter’s walk-off solo home run. 

In Game 5, Byung-Hyun Kim came on in the 9th inning with a 2-0 lead, but he hit a two-run home run to the left field by Scott Brosius with 2 outs and runners on first base, resulting in a blown save. Unlike Game 4, the pitcher was replaced right away, but Arizona lost 2-3 when Albi Lopez allowed a walk-off hit to Alfonso Soriano in the 12th inning of extra innings. It was a happy ending for Arizona as they won games 6 and 7 and climbed to the top of the World Series with 4 wins and 3 losses, but for Byung-Hyun Kim, it was a truly nightmarish moment. 

After the game on this day, Kim Byung-hyun-A from 2001 was also summoned in Arizona coach Torrey Lovuller’s official interview. ‘Fans will think of Kim Byung-hyun. There were several blown saves in 2001. What do players and coaches think about this history? To the question, ‘Isn’t it burdensome?’ Director Lovullo said, “I am not at all. Among the current players, not many are old enough to remember the situation again. “Dedicated fans will remember it, but no one connects it to that time.”

Rather, Coach Lovullo said, “You can’t give 10 walks and expect to win in the World Series. “It was only a matter of time before something happened, and it did,” he said, pointing out the pitchers’ lack of ball control. “The tying home run in the 9th inning was very shocking, but there is a reason for the World Series. This is the stage where the best players play. SeaWorld also pitched well, but there were a few missed throws. “There were a lot of walks during Taveras’ at-bat,” he said. Coach Lovullo also said, “Sometimes baseball goes like this. We need to find a way to recover, clear our minds, and do our best work. “We showed a lot of that this year,” he said, pledging to fight back in the second game.