(Daegu = Yonhap News) Reporter Kyung-yoon Kim = 'Icon of Dedication' Ariel Jurado (Samsung Lions) continued his best fight in the Korean Series (KS, 4 wins out of 7 games) following the playoffs (PO, 3 wins out of 5 games).
Hurado started the home game against KT Wiz in the 3rd game of the 2026 Professional Baseball KS held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 6th and pitched well with 6 hits, no walks, 6 strikeouts, and 1 run in 7 innings, then passed the ball to Seung-min Lee during the 8th inning defense with a 4-1 lead.
Samsung took advantage of Jurado's good pitching to win 5-1 and achieve its second win (one loss).
Jurado had a bit of a struggle at the start of the game today due to the chilly weather.
Struggling with pitch control in the top of the first inning, he gave up a double to Kim Min-hyuk that fell to the right of right field and a timely double to Sam Hilliard that went over the height of center field.
However, the preheating process ended here.
Jurado showed his best pitching from the second inning when he warmed up.
In particular, his crisis management skills were dazzling.
In the second inning, with two outs and runners on first base, he struck out Jang Jun-won by causing a missed swing with a fast ball to the outside.
Even in the 3rd inning, when the score was 4-1, with 2 outs and runners on first base, he made a bold swing to the body against Hilliard and struck out.
After blocking the 4th and 5th innings with consecutive three-way fouls, he also gave up no runs in the 6th.
He was in a dizzying situation when he was hit on the back of his right hand by Hilliard's batted ball with two outs.
However, Jurado dissuaded the training coach who came to the mound and continued pitching immediately without a practice pitch.
Hurado, who showed no signs of pain and gave his all-out effort against the follow-up hitter Jang Seong-woo, ended the inning by catching a fly ball to center field.
Hurado, who was on the mound in the 7th inning, roared as he hit pinch hitters Choi Won-jun and Lee Jeong-hoon in a row with one out and second base.
Hurado is a ‘good foreign pitcher’ who is responsible for 197⅓ innings, the most in the KBO League in the 2025 season.
He was briefly sidelined this season due to shoulder pain, but pitched 150 innings in 24 games.
He is leading the Lions with all his might in the fall baseball game after overcoming injury.
He led the victory in the second PO game against the KIA Tigers on the 27th of last month by throwing 108 pitches and allowing two runs in 6⅔ innings, and in the fifth game of PO on the 1st of this month, after a four-day break, he threw 95 pitches and became the winning pitcher by allowing one run (non-earned) in seven innings.
After receiving the PO Most Valuable Player Award (MVP), he went on the mound in Daegu after a four-day break and thrilled Samsung fans.
Hurado, who was selected as the Daily MVP on this day, attended the post-game press conference and reflected, "Actually, I pitched 218⅓ innings in the regular season and postseason last year and also participated in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), so I was very tired. It wasn't easy, but I prepared well and got this far."
He then said, "I am just grateful" when the reporter said, "He is also considered a candidate for KS MVP." He added, "However, MVP is not my goal. If I win and become MVP, I will just be grateful."
When asked about the conversation he had with catcher Kang Min-ho during the 6th inning change of offense and defense, he said, "(Kang) Min-ho asked me if my hand was okay, and I replied, 'I know that my brother is playing even though he is sick (due to injury). I can definitely throw more.'"
He then looked back and said, “It was okay because it wasn’t a real hit,” and “Fortunately, it led to a good result.”
He recorded 61 pitches until the 3rd inning, but when asked how he lasted until the 7th inning, he replied, "I pitched with the mindset of making an aggressive pitch rather than thinking about reducing the number of pitches. I'm happy that I helped the team win."
