SSG Landers take the lead after sweeping the Lotte Giants.
SSG scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to pull off an 8-5 come-from-behind victory over Lotte in the 2023 Shinhan Bank Shootout KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Sunday.
With their second straight win, SSG (38 wins, 1 loss, 23 draws) moved into first place, pushing the LG Twins (38 wins, 2 losses, 24 draws) into second place.
Jeon hit a game-winning three-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning with the score at 4-5. Jeon finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, three RBIs, and one run scored.
After hitting five home runs the previous day, SSG has been hitting sharply, including a focused effort in the second half of the day.
SSG starter Kim Kwang-hyun took the loss after giving up three runs on six hits with five walks and four strikeouts in five innings, but was supported by his bats.
Fourth-ranked Lotte (31-28) dropped a close win and fell to a fourth straight loss. Lotte closed to within one game of the fifth-place Doosan Bears (30 wins, 1 tie, 29 losses).
Lotte has now lost four straight against SSG and four straight on the road.
LOTTE starter Park Se-woong pitched seven innings of three-hit ball with two walks and two strikeouts, but bullpen pitchers Kim Jin-wook, Koo Seung-min and Kim Won-joong struggled to get the win.
Lotte’s Yoo Kang-nam’s second two-run homer of the season was a bit of a disappointment.
Lotte struck first with a home run in the second inning. Yoon Dong-hee led off the inning with a single, followed by Yoo’s two-run shot to left field to make it 2-0. After Kim Min-seok singled and stole second and Jeon Jun-woo singled to put runners on first and third with one out, Lotte scored a run on a throwing error by the opposition.
In the bottom of the sixth, LOTTE loaded the bases with a single by Lee Hak-joo, a double by Kim Min-seok, and a walk by Ko Seung-min. Jun-woo Jeon followed with a two-run single to drive in the go-ahead run.
SSG fought back in the bottom of the sixth, scoring one run on a double by leadoff hitter Choo Shin-soo and back-to-back infield singles by Choi Ji-hoon and Choi Jung.
SSG made a comeback in the eighth inning.
SSG had a chance to load the bases in the eighth with back-to-back hits by Kang Jin-sung and Ahn Sang-hyun and a ball hit to the body of Choo Shin-soo. Choi Jung-jeong’s push single and Guillermo Heredia’s infield grounder made it 3-5. Back-to-back singles by Park Sung-hwan and Choi Joo-hwan scored a run before a triple by Jeon Eui-san and an RBI single by Ahn Sang-hyun made it 8-5.
With a three-run lead, SSG sent closer Seo Jin-yong to the mound in the ninth inning to close out the game. Seo pitched one inning of two-hit shutout ball to earn his 21st save of the season.
Doosan won 7-4 against LG at Jamsil Stadium.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak and kept Doosan in fifth place with a five-game winning percentage. Doosan snapped a three-game losing streak away from home.
Doosan starter Kwak Bin earned his fifth win of the season (2-2) with six innings of five-hit ball, five walks, three strikeouts and two runs. LG Electronics snapped a two-game losing streak.
Doosan’s Park Kye-beom went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs in the win. It was Park’s fourth straight game with a double. Kang Seung-ho and Yang Yang-ji went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, and 1-for-3 with a home run, one RBI and one run scored, respectively.
With its six-game winning streak snapped, LG dropped from first to second place.
LG suffered its fourth loss of the season (six wins) despite a strong outing from starter Kay Kelly, who allowed three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts in six innings. Kelly’s win streak against Doosan also came to an end at five games.
LG’s Kim Hyun-soo went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, but was unable to smile in the loss.
The NC Dinos pounded out 19 hits in a 10-7 win over the KIA Dinos at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju.
With 34 wins and 27 losses on the season, NC maintained its hold on third place. They snapped a three-game losing streak against KIA and a three-game losing streak against Gwangju.
NC starter Taylor Widener picked up his second win of the season (1-1) with six innings of four-hit ball, two walks, seven strikeouts and four runs (three earned).
Park Min-woo went 5-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, including the game-winning hit in the third inning, while Park Gun-woo went 3-for-6 with a home run and three RBIs and Do Tae-hoon went 4-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored.
KIA (27-31), which had its three-game winning streak snapped, remained in sixth place.
KIA starter Yoon Young-chul was tagged for seven runs on 11 hits in three innings. The team has lost three straight and four of its last five. He set career lows for fewest innings pitched, most hits, and most runs allowed in a single game.
KIA scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, including a three-run blast by Lee Chang-min (his second of the season), but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide.
KIA’s Choi Hyung-woo tied the KBO’s all-time RBI record (Lee Seung-yeop’s 1,498) with his 1498th career RBI, but his efforts were overshadowed by the team’s loss.
KT Wiz won 6-5 at home against the Samsung Lions at KT Wiz Park in Suwon.
With their fourth straight win, KT (26 wins, 2 ties, 33 losses) are in eighth place.
KT’s Jang Jun-won hit a game-winning three-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning after trailing 2-3.
Cuevas, who returned to KT as a substitute foreign player, allowed three runs on five hits in 4⅔ innings in his return.
Samsung (25-36), which lost its fifth straight game, remained in ninth place. It has lost six straight away from home.
The Kiwoom Heroes won 9-6 against the Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon.
Seventh-place Kiwoom (28 wins, 2 draws, 35 losses) narrowed the gap to sixth-place KIA to 1.5 games.
Kim Hwi-jip went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, his fourth of the season, and two RBIs, while Lee Won-seok went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs in the win. Kim Hye-seong provided the offensive spark with a 1-for-3 performance with three runs scored.안전놀이터
Hanwha (23 wins, 4 ties, 35 losses) failed to climb out of last place.
Hanwha’s Noh Si-hwan went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored, including his 11th three-run homer of the season, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the loss.