Samsung completes its winning series with a victory over KIA. Rain was a factor, but they overcame it to win. KIA couldn’t carry over the momentum from the previous day’s come-from-behind win.
Samsung won the final game of a three-game weekend series against KIA in the 2023 KBO League regular season at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Tuesday, 6-4, with Kang Min-ho and Jae-il Oh hitting home runs and Kim Hyun-jun driving in the winning run.
It’s a 2-1 series win. The team was in a bad mood after losing 5-6 the previous day after taking a 4-0 lead. But on this day, he was focused and smiling. He struggled against Hwang Dong-ha, whom he met for the first time, but found his groove as the batting order rotated. Due to rain, starter Won Tae-in was pulled after only 2.1 innings. The bullpen faltered. Still, they held on until the end.
It was a disappointing loss for KIA. Second-year rookie Hwang Dong-ha pitched relatively well, but couldn’t get over the hump. The bullpen wasn’t very good either. The batting lineup was also not very good. The result was a 1-2 finish.
Samsung starter Won Tae-in pitched 2.1 innings of 2-hit ball, striking out one and walking none. After pitching two innings, he was rained out in the third inning. The game resumed after 88 minutes. Since he was already on the mound when it was stopped, he had to come down to face one batter. He threw a slower pitch, 94 km/h-78 km/h-91 km/h, and got Kim Tae-gun to ground out to the pitcher.
Kim added 1.2 innings of one-hit ball with one walk and two strikeouts. Hong Jeong-woo pitched 1.1 innings of one-hit ball with one walk and one strikeout, while Park Se-woong pitched 0.1 innings of one-hit ball with one walk and two runs. Both were called up to the first team for the day. They got a taste of bitterness right away.
Woo Gyu-min pitched 1.1 innings of two-hit shutout ball, while right-hander Lee Seung-hyun gave up one run on three hits (one home run) in 1.1 innings. Woo earned the win. Oh Seung-hwan earned the save with one perfect inning. It was his 20th save of the season and 390th of his career.
At the plate, Kim Hyun-jun went 1-for-3 with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the sixth inning. Kang Min-ho hit a solo home run and had one hit and one RBI. Oh Jae-il also hit his first home run in a long time. He had two hits, one RBI and two runs scored. Kim Sung-yoon added two hits and one RBI.
KIA starter Hwang Dong-ha gave up three runs on four hits (two homers) and one walk in 4.2 innings. Pitched well until the third inning. ‘Unfamiliarity’ became a solid weapon. But once the batting order was set, it wasn’t easy. The home runs by Kang Min-ho and Jae-il Oh were a big factor. The batting lineup kept the game scoreless.
Kim Jae-yeol pitched 0.1 innings of scoreless relief, Jeon Sang-hyun pitched 0.1 innings of two-run relief, and Lee Jun-young pitched 0.2 innings of one-run relief. Park Jun-pyo followed with 0.1 scoreless innings and Choi Ji-min with 0.2 scoreless innings. Jung Hae-young pitched a scoreless inning.
At the plate, Socrates went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk, including a three-run shot to tie the game. Na Sung-beom also had two hits, including a home run, one RBI and one walk. Ko Jong-wook had two hits, while Choi Hyung-woo and Choi Won-joon each had one hit and one run scored.
In the bottom of the fourth, Samsung struck first. With the bases loaded, Kang Min-ho hit a solo home run to left field off Hwang Dong-ha. It was his 14th home run of the season. It was his first in 16 days since the LG Electronics game on April 4. The score was 1-0.
The run came in the bottom of the fifth. Leadoff hitter Oh Jae-il hit a fastball from Hwang Dong-ha over the right field wall. Eighth home run of the season. It was the first time in 71 days since June 10 against Lotte. It was a 2-0 lead.
Kim Ji-chan followed with a triple to left-center to load the bases. Kim Hyun-jun hit a grounder to first base, but first baseman Choi Won-jun made a throwing error. Kim Ji-chan came home to make it 3-0.
In the top of the sixth inning, KIA tied the game with one run. Choi Won-jun singled and stole second, Na Sung-beom grounded out to first, and Choi 사설토토 Hyung-woo singled to put runners on first and third. Socrates hit a three-run homer to tie the game at 3-3. It was the first time in three days since the Kiwoom game on the 17th.
In the bottom of the sixth, Samsung took the lead again. Jose Pirela walked, Oh Jae-il singled to right, and Lee Jae-hyun laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third. Kim Hyun-jun hit a triple to right-center field to make it 5-3. Kim Sung-yoon followed with an RBI single to left center field to make it 6-3.
Two batters later in the top of the seventh, Na Sung-bum hit a solo home run to right field to bring KIA back within 4-6. However, it was not to be.