By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- Staked to an early lead in his first South Korean baseball postseason game Tuesday, Kia Tigers starter Keisho Shirakawa made the most of that opportunity, delivering one of his best starts to help send his team to the next round.
The Japanese right-hander struck out nine in five effective innings, as the Tigers routed the LG Twins 13-1 to complete a three-game sweep in their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason series.
The Tigers scored seven runs in the top of the second inning to seize the early momentum, and Shirakawa made sure it stayed with his team, as he became the first Japanese pitcher to win a KBO postseason game.
Kia Tigers starter Keisho Shirakawa gives a thumbs-up after striking out Park Dong-won of the LG Twins during Game 3 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 20, 2026. (Yonhap)
He recorded one strikeout in the first inning and picked up two more Ks in the second inning. One more strikeout in the third and two more in the fourth followed, as his fastball-slider combination kept fooling one Twins hitter after another.
Shirakawa's highlight came in the fifth inning, moments after the Tigers extended their lead to 8-0.
Moon Bo-gyeong led off that inning with a single, trying to inject some life into the lineup that had only one hit to that point. But then Shirakawa refused to let the Twins back into the game by striking out the next three batters.
He struck out Moon Jeong-bin swinging on a slider and then got Moon Sung-ju to whiff on a forkball in the dirt for the second out. Shirakawa punctuated the memorable inning with a strikeout of Park Dong-won, again on a slider.
The Tigers' lead grew to 9-0 by the time Shirakawa came back out for the sixth.
He served up a single and a double to the first two batters he faced, and finally ceded the reins to the bullpen, ending his night after 76 pitches.
Kia Tigers starter Keisho Shirakawa celebrates after striking out Park Dong-won of the LG Twins during Game 3 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 20, 2026. (Yonhap)
Reliever Jung Hai-young allowed one of the inherited runners to score, leaving a blemish on Shirakawa's box score line. Still, considering the stakes, this was Shirakawa's best outing in the KBO.
That he delivered this performance before a sellout crowd of 23,650 was no mean feat.
Shirakawa came to the KBO in 2024, having only played independent baseball in his native country. There were games in which he appeared rattled while pitching in front of big and raucous crowds of the South Korean league, even at his home stadium.
After a year away, Shirakawa returned to South Korea this year by signing with the Kia Tigers. And his struggles in packed stadiums continued.
Numbers bore that out. In those two regular seasons, Shirakawa had a 5.81 ERA in 24 outings when there were between 15,000 and 24,999 fans. In comparison, he had a 3.06 ERA when the size of the crowd was between 10,000 and 14,999.
On Tuesday, though, Shirakawa rose to the occasion when his Tigers were trying to finish off the Twins.
Shirakawa threw 36 four-seam fastballs, 17 sliders, 16 forkballs, four curveballs and three changeups. His fastball topped out at 153 kph and sat around 150 kph, nearly 4 kph faster than his regular-season average.
Kia Tigers starter Keisho Shirakawa pitches against the LG Twins during Game 3 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 20, 2026. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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