In baseball, is there any scenario more baffling than a starting pitcher being ejected after recording just one out? The game between the Samsung Lions and Hanwha Eagles held in Daegu on August 15th was plunged into chaos right from the start. Samsung's starter, Yang Chang-seop, was automatically ejected for a 'headshot' after his fastball hit Hanwha's cleanup hitter, Roh Si-hwan, on the front of his helmet in the top of the first inning. Fortunately, Roh walked to first base without major injury, but Samsung nearly saw their mound collapse, facing a bases-loaded crisis with only one out.

The hero who emerged as a firefighter to turn the tide of the game in this desperate moment was Lee Seung-hyun, a left-handed pitcher born in 2002. Taking the mound without enough time to warm up, Lee extinguished the fire by inducing a double play from the first batter he faced. He then suppressed the Hanwha lineup for 5 and 2/3 innings, allowing only one run and striking out seven. Amid the massive setback of an early exit for the starter, Lee's long-relief show became the anchor that perfectly steadied the team's shaken morale.

While Lee held down the mound, Koo Ja-wook exploded at the plate as the ultimate closer. Koo led the offense by racking up 5 RBIs, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the first. Although Hanwha briefly took the lead by hitting three home runs in the top of the seventh, Samsung immediately responded with 3 runs each in the seventh and eighth innings, completing a thrilling 11-6 victory. With this win, Samsung extended their winning streak to three, trailing the league-leading KT Wiz by just half a game, and proved the resilience of a championship contender that grew stronger through adversity.

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