The KIA Tigers snapped a two-game losing streak with an eighth-inning comeback.
KIA improved to 58-2-52 with a 7-6 victory in the first game of a doubleheader against the LG Twins in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League on Monday at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field. LG, whose winning streak came to a halt at two, is now 70-2-45.
KIA took the lead in the top of the fourth inning on a leadoff single by Hwang Dae-in and an RBI double by Na Sung-beom, and added a run in the bottom of the fourth on a throwing error by shortstop Oh Ji-hwan with runners on first and third. LG responded in the top of the fifth with an RBI single by Moon Sung-joo and a sacrifice fly by Hong Chang-ki.
LG kept its hopes alive with a home run in the top of the seventh. Park Dong-won, batting with one out, pulled a three-pitch fastball from Lim Ki-young for a huge solo arch. It was the first 20-homer season in two years since 2021 (22). It was the first 20-homer catcher for LG in 13 years since Jo In-sung in 2010.
KIA promptly replaced its pitcher with Lee Jun-young, but after Moon Sung-ju and Park Hae-min drew back-to-back walks, Hong Chang-ki singled to right and Moon took second base. As right fielder Na Sung-bum threw to third base, Hong Chang-ki reached second base, and Park Hae-min raced home while shortstop Park Chan-ho was tagging the runner. Park Chan-ho realized the situation too late and threw the ball home, but the outcome was safe. The score was 5-5.
It wasn’t the end of the game. Shin Min-jae’s infield single and stolen base put runners on first and second, and Kim Hyun-soo’s grounder to the second baseman brought home Hong Chang-ki from third. It was the first time LG had taken the lead since the start of the game.
However, KIA did not give up. In the bottom of the eighth inning, after back-to-back singles by Kim Sun-bin and Lee Woo-sung, pinch-hitter Ko Jong-wook tied the game at 6-6 with an RBI single. LG decided to bring in closer Ko Woo-seok early, but Park Chan-ho singled up the middle with runners on first and second to bring home Choi Jung-yong.
In the top of the ninth, closer Jung Hae-young struck out Seo Gun-chang at second base to preserve the one-run lead.
KIA starter Hwang Dong-ha, who did his job under pressure, pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Making up for his defensive shortcomings, leadoff man Park Chan-ho went 3-for-5 with a home run, one RBI, and one run scored, while Hwang Dae-in reached base three times, including a home run. LG starter Im Chan-kyu, on the other hand, gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits (one home run) and two walks with one strikeout in 5⅔ innings, leaving his 11th win of the season until next time.
The Hanwha Eagles extended their winning streak to four games with an 11-2 blowout of the Kiwoom Heroes at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul to improve to 48-62. Kiwoom, meanwhile, dropped its fifth straight game to fall to 51-3 and 75-72.
Hanwha opened with an RBI single by Chae Eun-sung in the first inning, scored four runs in the second, including a two-run double by Moon Hyun-bin, and extended the lead with an RBI single by Oh Sun-jin in the third. In the top of the fourth inning, they scored five runs, including an RBI single by Choi In-ho, to put the game out of reach.
Starting pitcher Kim Ki-joong pitched five innings of seven-hit ball, striking out two and walking none to record his first win in 739 days since August 31, 2021, against KT in Daejeon. It was his first no-hitter since his debut.
Kiwoom finally broke the 0-0 streak in the bottom of the fifth inning with RBI singles from Kim Tae-jin and Kim Hye-sung, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the gap that had already opened up. Kim Dong-hyuk took the loss on the mound, allowing six runs on seven hits and four walks with two strikeouts in three innings.
Focusing more on game one than game two of the doubleheader, the Samsung Lions snapped a two-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Their season record now stands at 51 wins, 1 draw, and 67 losses. Doosan, whose win-loss margin is back to zero, is now 57-1-1.
Samsung took the lead in the second inning with a leadoff double by Oh Jae-il, and in the top of the third, Kim Sung-yoon’s grounder to the first baseman allowed Kim Hyun-jun to score from third base. In the top of the eighth, RBI singles by Lee Jae-hyun and Kim Ho-jae solidified the win. 온라인바카라
David Buchanan pitched the final eight innings on his own, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out four and walking one to reach the 10-win plateau for the fourth straight year. Meanwhile, Doosan starter Won-Jun Jang took the loss, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits (one home run) and two walks with three strikeouts in five innings. It was his third loss of the season.
The Lotte Giants avenged the previous day’s loss with a 5-2 victory over the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park.
RBI singles by Kwon Hee-dong in the first inning and Jason Martin in the third gave NC the lead, but the two teams were evenly matched in the top of the sixth. Lotte quickly tied the game with a two-run double by Jeon Jun-woo with runners on first and second, and Jung Hoon followed with a two-run single.
After scoring four runs in the first inning, Ahn Chi-hong’s RBI single in the top of the seventh inning ended the visitors’ hopes of a comeback, and Choi Jun-yong and Kim Won-joong pitched one and one-third innings of scoreless relief, respectively, to preserve the three-run lead.
Starting pitcher Park Se-woong threw 112 pitches in 6⅔ innings, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out nine to earn his sixth win of the season. Song Myung-ki, on the other hand, took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 5⅓ innings.
Meanwhile, NC’s Son As-seop, who started in the leadoff spot, became the first player in KBO history to reach the 150-hit plateau in eight consecutive seasons with a single to left off “former teammate” Park Se-woong in the third inning. He also became the second player in history, after Lee Dae-ho, to reach 200 hits in 11 consecutive seasons.