Shin Jae-young holds the line as Hanyang hands Fighters first loss

In the Flame Fighters' first loss of the season on Burning Baseball 2, the performance that lingered longest was Shin Jae-young's four scoreless innings. In episode 6, released at 8 p.m. on the 15th, the Fighters lost 4-3 to Hanyang University.

The final score showed only a one-run gap, but the game itself was not simple. Early on, Hanyang University's mound work and defense controlled the rhythm, while the Fighters had to begin their chase late. During that stretch, the pitcher who kept the deficit from growing any larger was Shin Jae-young.

The Fighters first fell behind when starter Rhee Dae-eun gave up the opening run in the top of the third inning. Another run came across in the fifth, and Yoo Hee-kwan, who followed on the mound, was also unable to completely cut off the concentration of the Hanyang University lineup.

On the other side, the Fighters' hitters could not easily break through Hanyang University's pitching staff in the early innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Park Yong-taek and Lee Dae-ho drew walks to create an opportunity, and Jeong Eui-yoon delivered the team's first hit. But the runner trying to score was stopped by the defense, and the chance did not become a run.

The point was not simply that the Fighters lost. In a baseball variety program, a matchup with a university team directly sets the experience of veteran players against the stamina and defensive completeness of younger players. Hanyang University did not easily surrender the flow once it had seized it, while the Fighters' experienced hitters kept creating openings only to see the final decisive contact stopped by the defense.

That is why Shin Jae-young's scoreless outing stood out even more. In a game his team is losing, the first thing a pitcher must do is stop the margin from widening before the atmosphere can change.

Shin took the mound in the top of the sixth inning and held Hanyang University scoreless for four innings. He was a pitcher whom Hanyang University hitters had named as someone they wanted to face, but in the actual matchup he did not shake easily. More important than his background as the 2016 Rookie of the Year was his role on this day. He held the game in place so the Fighters would not collapse further, and because of that, the bottom of the seventh opened a window for a comeback.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Fighters loaded the bases on consecutive walks by Park Jae-wook, Jeong Keun-woo and Choi Soo-hyun. Park Yong-taek then brought in the team's first run with a bases-loaded walk, and Lee Dae-ho attacked the first pitch for a two-run timely hit that cut the deficit to one.

But the final batted ball was again handled by Hanyang University's defense, and the game ended there. The win went to Hanyang University, but the four innings Shin Jae-young held firm were the reason the Fighters were able to stay in the game until the end.

Burning Baseball 2 is a program that presents both competition and variety entertainment. This Hanyang University game showed how the Fighters were held back by their opponent's young defense and quick responses, while also showing how a veteran pitcher should steady the late innings of a game. Shin Jae-young's strong pitching could not erase the defeat. After their first loss, the Fighters will return to the field for a scheduled game against Yushin High School at 5 p.m. on the 20th at Incheon SSG Landers Field.