The Blazing Fighters continued their winning streak with a dramatic comeback victory, marking their fourth consecutive win.
On the 23rd, the official YouTube channel of Studio C1 released the 8th episode of the baseball variety show 'Blazing Baseball.' Within just 12 minutes of its release, the episode surpassed 100,000 concurrent viewers, peaking at 238,900, showcasing its undying popularity.
Starting pitcher Yoo Hee-kwan struggled in the first inning, giving up four runs without recording an out, dampening the dugout's spirits. Incheon High School started right-handed sidearm pitcher Yoo Dong-yoon, who had a 2-0 record with a 1.64 ERA. Jung Geun-woo, despite being overpowered by Incheon High's pitcher, managed to draw a walk with his keen eye. Soon after, Choi Soo-hyun hit a ball towards center field, and a defensive error by the opponent allowed the Fighters to score. The Fighters quickly retaliated, with Park Yong-taek's sacrifice fly narrowing the gap to 2-4.
Regaining his composure, Yoo Hee-kwan delivered two consecutive 1-2-3 innings in the second and third with his slow pitches. In the bottom of the third, Choi Soo-hyun's hit gave the Fighters an opportunity. Incheon High then replaced Yoo Dong-yoon with left-handed pitcher Park Joon-sung to contain the Fighters' core lineup.
The Fighters seized their chance in the bottom of the fourth, turning the game around. With consecutive hits from Lee Taek-geun and Park Jae-wook, they had runners on first and third with two outs. Kim Jae-ho stepped up and delivered a clutch hit just over the second baseman's head. Jung Geun-woo then drew another walk, loading the bases with two outs. Incheon High decided to face Choi Soo-hyun, who had already recorded two hits that day. Choi delivered a hit between third and short, giving the Fighters a 5-4 lead.
Fueled by their hot bats, the Fighters aimed to extend their lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Lee Dae-ho's single and Jung Eui-yoon's walk set up runners on first and second. A sacrifice bunt advanced them to second and third with one out, and a balk by Incheon High's pitcher made it 6-4. Lee Taek-geun then hit a double off the wall, increasing the lead to three runs.
In the bottom of the sixth, Incheon High brought in ace Lee Tae-yang, a strong contender for the first round of the 2026 KBO rookie draft. The Fighters went down in order against him. The Fighters also brought in Lee Dae-eun from the seventh inning, who easily closed out the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, the Fighters added another run. Jung Eui-yoon hit a solo home run off Lee Tae-yang, doubling the score to 8-4.
Despite a four-run lead, the Fighters couldn't relax. With runners on first and second with no outs, Incheon High's fifth batter hit a single past the first baseman, scoring a runner from second, making it 8-5. Manager Kim Sung-geun quickly visited the mound, and a composed Lee Dae-eun struck out the next batter. With one out and runners on second and third, an Incheon High batter hit the first pitch, closing the gap to 8-6.
Incheon High showed relentless determination until the end. In the bottom of the eighth, they made a strategic move by changing their catcher and got Park Jae-wook to ground out to shortstop. However, they walked Kim Jae-ho and gave up a hit to Jung Geun-woo, facing a one-out, first and third situation. Incheon High switched pitchers to Jung Hyun-woo, but Choi Soo-hyun's grounder to the pitcher allowed Kim Jae-ho to score from third. In the top of the ninth, Lee Dae-eun returned to the mound, mixing in two strikeouts to secure the Fighters' 9-6 victory.
Jung Se-yoon, TenAsia Reporter yoon@tenasia.co.kr