▲ Kiwoom's Kim Jae-hyun celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning.
The professional baseball team Kiwoom Heroes secured a second consecutive win against the KIA Tigers, propelled by Kim Jae-hyun's dramatic, come-from-behind walk-off grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning.
Kiwoom won 8-7 in their home game against KIA in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League held at Gocheok SkyDome in Seoul today.
It was a game that re-proved the maxim, "It's not over until it's over."
KIA came within reach of victory, building a 7-2 lead fueled by league home run leader Kim Do-young's 38th home run of the season in the 3rd inning, Park Jae-hyun's two-run triple in the 6th, and Kim Tae-gun's two-run homer and Kim Sun-bin's RBI single in the 8th.
Facing the bottom of the 9th trailing by five runs and with defeat looming, Kiwoom opened the frame when leadoff hitter Kwon Hyuk-bin singled to right field.
After one out, consecutive hits by Seo Geon-chang and Choo Jae-hyun filled the bases.
With a save situation unfolding, the KIA bench pulled Lee Tae-yang and brought in new closer Lee Eui-lee.
Kiwoom responded when Matt Davidson hit a two-run single off Lee Eui-lee, and Ahn Chi-hong drew a walk, narrowing the gap to 4-7.
Pinch hitter Yeo Dong-wook swung and missed at Lee Eui-lee's 157 km/h fastball for a strikeout, bringing the out count to two and seemingly dampening Kiwoom's momentum.
Stepping up to the plate then was catcher Kim Jae-hyun, who had entered as a defensive replacement in the top of the 9th.
The veteran backup catcher, who had seen few opportunities this season with a .100 batting average (1 hit in 10 at-bats), powered a 155 km/h fastball from Lee Eui-lee on a 2-2 count over the left-field fence.
It was a dramatic walk-off grand slam that flipped the score to 8-7.
It marked Kim Jae-hyun's 1st home run of the season and the 8th of his professional career, and his first homer in 1,551 days since a game against the LG Twins on May 25, 2022.
It is the 26th walk-off grand slam in KBO League history.
Kim became only the 3rd player in KBO League history to secure a come-from-behind victory with a walk-off grand slam while trailing by 3 runs, with all such instances occurring with two outs.
The 1st instance was hit by Lee Dong-soo (Samsung Lions) against Koo Dae-sung (Hanwha Eagles) from a 3-6 deficit on July 25, 1995, and the 2nd by Kim Eung-guk (Lotte Giants) against Kim Jin-wong (Samsung) from a 2-5 deficit on April 10, 2002.
Kim Jae-hyun is the first player to complete a Kennedy Score—referencing an 8-7 game—via a come-from-behind walk-off grand slam.
Kiwoom wrote a unusual record by hitting their second walk-off grand slam of the season alone, following Ahn Chi-hong's against the kt wiz on May 10 this year.
This marks the first time in history that a single franchise has hit two walk-off grand slams in one season.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.