A valiant win by No. 3 SSG ends a 5-game losing run. Win for No. 2 KT over No. 4 NC
SSG escapes 5-game losing streak with a stunning comeback…#2 KT and #4 NC share win (2 games in hand) Last-place Kiwoom sweeps weekend three-game series with Lotte…Samsung beats KIA with Kim Hyun-jun’s 2 RBI triple
(SEOUL-INCHEON) By Jang Hyun-koo and Kim Kyung-yoon Reporter = Third-place SSG Landers snapped a five-game losing streak with a narrow victory over leader LG Twins.
SSG won a 2-1 home game against LG in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Tuesday behind a strong performance by starter Roenis Elias and a super save by closer Seo Jin-yong.
Elias gave up just one run on a home run and effectively shut down the LG bats for eight innings to set the stage for the win.
In the ninth inning, Seo overcame a tie game with runners on second and third to earn the save, continuing his remarkable 100% save percentage this season.
SSG took the lead in the fourth inning with a solo home run by Park Sung-woo.
LG tied the game at 1-1 with a thunderous solo shot to left field in the sixth inning by catcher Heo Do-hwan, who made an exquisite block to prevent a runner from tagging up from third base in a bases-loaded situation in the fifth inning.
SSG loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth after back-to-back singles by Kang Jin-sung and Han Yu-seom put runners on first and third, and Jeon Eui-san’s hard-hit ball loaded the bases.
LG closer Go Woo-seok gave up the game-winning run with a wild pitch to pinch-hitter Kim Kang-min.
LG had the final chance to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth when Shin Min-jae led off with a single, stole second and was hit by a pitch.
SSG third baseman Choi Jeong-jeong caught Austin Dean’s slow hit and threw accurately to first base, but it was ruled safe as Austin’s feet were fast.
With the game tied, SSG requested a video replay, and it was revealed that Choi’s throw was faster, leaving SSG stunned.
Second-place KT WIZ defeated the Hanwha Eagles 3-0 in Daejeon, led by Moon Sang-chul’s game-winning home run.
Moon Sang-chul, batting in the sixth spot, led off the seventh inning with a no-hitter after a pitching battle between William Cuevas (KT) and Felix Peña (Hanwha), driving a fastball up the middle from Peña over the right field wall.
KT answered right back with Oh Yoon-seok’s single to left, followed by a double down the left field line by Choi Jae-dae to make it 2-0.
With Kim Min-hyuk at bat, Jeong Byeong-dae moved to third on a wild pitch by Hanwha reliever Kim Bum-soo, but Kim’s bunt went up in the air and he was thrown out at third base.
However, Kim Bum-soo slipped on the throw to third base and the ball became a bad throw, allowing Choi to cross the plate with ease and score the team’s third run.
Cuevas pitched seven innings of three-hit ball with a whopping 11 strikeouts to secure his eighth straight win for Hanwha.
Cuevas, who returned to a KT uniform during the offseason as a substitute, has led the Wizards to seven wins in 11 games this year.
At Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, the fourth-ranked NC Dinos pounded out 18 hits, including three home runs, to defeat the Doosan Bears 12-5.
NC rallied from a 1-3 deficit in the top of the third inning on Ahn Jung-yeol’s home run to left field and tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth on Jason Martin’s 130-meter solo shot to right field.
In the bottom of the fourth, NC took the lead for good with an RBI single to right field by Kim Joo-won.
Taking the lead, NC made it 7-3 in the top of the seventh with Park Min-woo’s RBI double to left-center and Kwon Hee-dong’s RBI double to right-center.
In the eighth inning, Doosan answered with three runs on three hits, including doubles by Son and Martin and a triple by Park Minwoo.
First baseman Son As-seob went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, while Park Min-woo, Martin, Kwon Hee-dong, and Kim Joo-won each had two hits.
Doosan scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on Kim Jae-hwan’s RBI single to right, but failed to capitalize on subsequent runners on first and third.
NC’s new foreign pitcher, Tanner Tully, who allowed three runs (one earned) in six innings, got his first win with hot batting support.
The last-place Kiwoom Heroes swept a weekend home three-game series with a 7-6 victory over the road-bound Lotte Giants at the Gocheok SkyDome in Seoul.
Trailing 4-1, Kiwoom rallied with a two-run homer by Lim Byung-wook in the fourth inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, still down 3-4, Kiwoom put runners on first and second with a single and a sacrifice bunt after pinch-hitter Kim Tae-jin’s grounder was missed by Lotte second baseman Park Seung-wook.
Kim Jun-wan’s sacrifice fly, Kim Hye-sung’s double to left-center, and Ronnie Dawson’s RBI single to center scored three runs to make it 6-4.
In the top of the eighth, Lotte got one run back on a Jung-geun Choi double to right center, and with runners on first and third, pinch-hitter Jeon Jun-woo grounded out to shortstop to tie the game at 6-6.
The celebration was short-lived, however, as Lotte faced a bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the eighth after reliever Koo Seung-min gave up two walks and a hit.
Closer Kim Won-joong came on, but gave up the game-winning run when he threw a hard-hitting pushball to Kim Dong-heon.
Bae Young-bin, who joined Lotte as a developmental player this year and made his debut at shortstop in the ninth spot in the lineup, went 3-for-4 with a double.
In Daegu, the Samsung Lions defeated the KIA Tigers 6-4.
After Samsung jumped out to a 3-0 lead on RBI singles by Kang Min-ho and Oh Jae-il, Kia quickly tied the game in the top of the sixth on Socrates Brito’s grand slam.
Samsung scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning with runners on second and third after a hit and a walk, with Kim Hyun-joon hitting a triple to right field and Kim Sung-yoon hitting an infield single.
KIA managed to get one run back in the seventh on a solo home run by Na Sung-beom.
Samsung closer Oh Seung-hwan pitched 먹튀검증 a scoreless inning to earn his 390th save in the KBO.
The Daegu game was suspended for 1 hour and 28 minutes due to rain during the game.