Led by head coach Lee Bum-ho, Kia defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 5-2 in the 14th game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on Sunday. With four consecutive wins, it became the first team to win 80 games this season.스포츠토토
It is the fourth time in the team’s history that the team has secured 80 wins during the regular season, and the first time in seven years since 1993 (124 games), 2009 (132 games), and 2017 (132 games). With 80 wins, two draws and 50 losses, Kia has reduced its magic number for the regular season by one from seven to six.
On the mound, starter Yang Hyeon-jong set the stage for victory with two hits, one out and 10 strikeouts in seven innings. It is the first time in 488 days that Yang Hyeon-jong has struck out more than 10 in a game since the match against Gwangju SSG Landers on May 9, 2023.
bullpen pitchers also performed their part. Jang Hyun-sik (two hits, two strikeouts, one run) and Kwak Do-kyu (no hit, two strikeouts and one strikeout in ⅓ innings) and Jeong Hae-young (one hit, one hit, no run in one inning) minimized his number of runs. Jung made his 17th career 120 saves in the KBO league by posting his 30th save this season.
In the batting lineup, Kim Do-young played two hits and two RBIs in four times at bat. Kim Do-young, who had only two RBIs left with 100 RBIs of the season before the game, achieved the third in KBO League history (previously Hyundai Park Jae-hong in 2000 and Eric Thames in 2015) with 30 home runs, 30 steals, 100 RBIs and 100 steals. Kim Sun-bin played two hits and one RBI in three times at bat, and Socrates Brito contributed to the come-from-behind victory with one hit, one RBI and one run in four times at bat.
KIA allowed one run in the top of the first inning on Kim Hye-sung’s sacrifice fly, but in the bottom of the third inning, third baseman Park Chan-ho scored when Kim Do-young grounded out to the third base with no outs and runners on the first and third bases. Since then, the game between the two teams has turned into a tight pitching match, and they failed to score an additional point until the seventh inning.
It was in the top of the eighth inning that Kia faced a crisis. Second pitcher Jang Hyun-sik gave up a hit to leadoff hitter Won Sung-joon, and after strikeouts by Kim Jae-hyun and Jang Jae-young, sent out Lee Ju-hyeong with hits. Kwak Do-gyu, who took the mound as a relief pitcher with two outs and runners on the first and third bases, failed to block a run as he dedicated a walk to Kim Hye-sung following Song Seong-moon. The score is 1-2.
Kia did not give up, however. After leadoff hitter Choi Won-joon’s hit and Park Chan-ho’s sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the eighth inning, the game was tied with Socrates’ timely hit, and Kim Do-young, who appeared on the second base with one out, hit an RBI triple. As the hit was bent to the third base, the ball flowed to the outfield, and as it led to a triple, the two teams had mixed feelings.
KIA, which took the lead for the first time since the opening of the game, scored one run on Na Sung-bum’s sacrifice fly to lead the game 4-2. This was not the end. Seo Geon-chang’s hit came out with two outs, and Kim Seon-bin’s RBI double with two outs and a runner on the first base widened the gap between the two teams to three points.
Closer Jung Hae-young took the mound in relief in the top of the ninth inning and gave up an infield hit to leadoff hitter Choi Joo-hwan, but after Bae Sang-kwon’s fly ball to center field, he ended the game by drawing a double play to Park Joo-hong with one out and one base.
“Although Yang Hyun-jong did not become a winning pitcher, he played a really good role as a starting pitcher by blocking seven innings with the least number of runs. Thank you for keeping the mound without any ups and downs,” manager Lee Bum-ho said after the game, referring to the pitchers’ performance, saying, “Jeong Hae-young also defended the team’s victory well.”
“In the attack, one point behind, in the bottom of the eighth inning, Socrates’ timely hit, Kim Do-young’s winning hit, and Kim Sun-bin scored a wedge RBI in continued chances to win the game by three points. Congratulations on Kim Do-young’s record of 30 home runs, 30 steals, 100 RBIs and 100 runs,” he added.
Finally, Lee said, “We played six games despite the remaining schedule, and thanks to the players’ good performance, we were able to finish the week in a good mood with 5 wins and 1 loss. Next week, we will give the players enough rest and prepare well for three home games. Thank you to the fans who cheered for us in full capacity.”
KIA will take a break until the 11th, play the Gwangju Lotte Giants on the 12th, and hold two consecutive home games against Kiwoom on the 14th and 15th after the break on the 13th.