Channel A
On ‘Baseball Queen’, the Black Queens won Game 6 by 3:4 with a walk-off hit by Jang Soo-young, achieving a thrilling second straight victory.
In Episode 11 of Channel A ‘Baseball Queen’ aired on the 3rd, the site of the sixth official game was revealed, where the Black Queensformed through the ‘Legend Selection’ and featuring Kim Min-ji-Kim Bo-reum-Kim Seong-yeon-Kim On-a-Park Bo-ram-Park Ha-yan-Song Ah-Shin So-jeong-Shin Soo-ji-Ayaka-Lee Soo-yeon-Jang Soo-young-Jung Yoo-in-Joo Soo-jin-Choi Hyun-mifaced All-In, a team that has taken championships and runner-up finishes for three straight years in the Yeongnam women’s baseball league. That day, after a razor-thin battle with All-In, the Black Queens earned a dramatic win via Jang Soo-young’s walk-off hit, and they immediately moved into Game 7 against Quality Start, a ‘super-strong team’ stacked with national-team players, drawing viewers into peak immersion.
Tied 3:3 through the bottom of the 4th in Game 6, the Black Queens and All-In continued a defensive duel in the 5th. Although Jang Soo-young allowed a runner to reach second for All-In, she notched three consecutive strikeouts and posted a second straight scoreless inning. However, in the bottom of the 5th, batters Joo Soo-jin, Ayaka, and Song Ah were all stopped by All-In’s defense and went down in order. In the final 6th, Jang Soo-young showed remarkable focus, fielded a ball hit by No. 3 hitter and starting pitcher Lee Hye-young herself for the first out, and Kim On-a and Park Ha-yan cleanly handled the No. 4 hitter’s infield grounder for the second out. Jang then struck out the No. 5 hitter to end the inning without further damage.
Driven by the fighting spirit of “Score just one run and we win!”, the Black Queens took their final at-bat. Leadoff Kim On-a went down on strikes, but Lee Soo-yeon reached on a precious error by the opponent. Following instructions from Manager Choo Shin-soo and Coach Yoon Seok-min, Lee Soo-yeon attempted a first-pitch steal and, with her specialty sliding, successfully swiped second. The next batter, Kim Seong-yeon, struck out to make it two outs, but Jang Soo-young, after battling to a full count, delivered a timely hit to secure a 3:4 victory. After the game, Director Park Se-ri praised the players, saying, “Of all the games we have played so far, today was the most meaningful. You truly worked hard.” Manager Choo Shin-soo applauded as well, saying, “It was more satisfying than any other game. Thank you for making me feel alive.”
The day’s MVP went to Jang Soo-young, who contributed as both a “relief pitcher” and a “relief hitter.” When Song Ah could not hide her disappointment at missing a second straight MVP, Manager Choo Shin-soo pinned a surprise badge on her and named her co-MVP, saying, “Without Song Ah, there would not even have been a chance to come from behind.” Finally breaking into a full smile, Song Ah later told the production staff she met at the training ground a few days afterward, “Isn’t MVP normally just one person? I should receive it solo one more time,” showing her enduring ‘ambition’ and bringing laughs.
As everyone focused on training ahead of Game 7, an emergency hit the Black Queens. Starting shortstop Joo Soo-jin fractured a finger during practice and would be out for four weeks. When Park Bo-ram also appeared with a finger fracture in a cast, the players worried, quipping, “Is a metal ring (cast) trending these days?” To make matters worse, even second baseman Kim On-a would join late for Game 7, heightening the sense of crisis. Manager Choo Shin-soo made a surprise selection of Kim Bo-reum for second base in Kim On-a’s stead. Ayaka was tabbed for shortstop, and Kim Min-ji was named leadoff. With the new lineup set, it was revealed that the Black Queens’ Game 7 opponent, Quality Start, boasted a powerful pitching staff featuring three former national-team players, including reserves. Shin So-jeong hinted at the tension, saying, “It is my former home team where I spent two years, and they will be on a different level from the teams we have faced so far.”
Game 7 finally began, with starting pitcher Jang Soo-young taking the mound. Immediately, Kim Bo-reum cleanly fielded an infield grounder by the leadoff hitter and threw to first baseman Park Ha-yan for the first out. No one was happier than Director Park Se-ri, Manager Choo Shin-soo, and her teammates at the fine play by “dugout member” Kim Bo-reum. Next, Park Ha-yan safely handled a ball rolled to first, and finally, Jang Soo-young struck out Shin Nu-ri, a national-team center fielder and No. 4 hitter, to end the inning perfectly.
In the Black Queens’ bottom of the 1st, Kim Min-ji and Ayaka made contact and sprinted all out, but were thrown out by the airtight defense of Quality Start by a hair. Then Shin So-jeong and Song Ah hit back-to-back singles to create a two-out, runners-on-first-and-second chance, but Jang Soo-young’s ball ran into the ‘wall of lamentation’, and the 1st ended scoreless.
Amid a tight 0:0 tug-of-war, whether the Black Queens can pull off “three straight wins” can be confirmed in Episode 12 of Channel A ‘Baseball Queen’, airing on the 10th (Tue).
