“I hope you do your best like you did in today’s game…”
KIA Tigers won 3-1 in the match against KT Wiz in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 3rd.
스포츠토토KIA succeeded in escaping its second consecutive loss. They returned to a winning percentage of .500 with 65 wins, 2 draws, and 65 losses. On the same day, in the match between SSG Landers and NC Dinos held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon, SSG won and maintained a 2.5 game lead.
KIA starter Lee Eui-ri was in crisis for the second and third innings in a row. After getting two outs in the bottom of the second inning, he gave up consecutive walks to Jang Seong-woo and Hwang Jae-gyun. However, he struck out Oh Yun-seok. In the bottom of the third inning, with one out, Cho Yong-ho hit. He struck out Sang-soo Kim, but allowed another hit to Anthony Alford, putting him on first and second base. However, after a 10-pitch battle with Park Byeong-ho, he induced a missed swing and struck out.
Lee Ui-ri closed the bottom of the 4th inning with a three-way strike. But the final crisis came in the 5th episode. Leadoff hitter Oh Yoon-seok was sent out with a walk. Bae Jeong-dae was caught by a fly ball to center field, but the bases were in danger due to Cho Yong-ho’s walk and Kim Sang-soo’s hit. He then allowed a sacrifice fly RBI to Alford. However, they did not give up any additional runs by catching Park Byeong-ho with a fly ball to center field.
Lee Ui-ri stayed on the mound in the sixth inning, but after striking out leadoff hitter Moon Sang-cheol, he allowed a hit to Jang Seong-woo and a walk to Hwang Jae-gyun. In the end, he ended the game by being replaced by Yoon Jung-hyun. Yoon Jung-hyun succeeded in ending the 6th inning without allowing any runs. He also came up in the 7th inning and faced one batter. Then, Lee Jun-young (⅓ innings), Jeon Sang-hyun (1⅓ innings), and Jeong Hae-young (1 inning) came up one after another and blocked the KT batting line without allowing any runs.
The KIA batting line scored first with Park Chan-ho’s triple and Kim Do-young’s sacrifice fly in the first inning. Although he was unable to add more points until the 8th inning, he succeeded in targeting KT closing pitcher Kim Jae-yoon in the top of the 9th inning. Leadoff hitter Kim Do-young hit a hit and then succeeded in stealing a base. Next, Kim Sun-bin took a bunt stance and then switched to a hard ball, hitting a ball that passed the height of first baseman Park Byeong-ho, who was playing forward defense. Kim Do-young came home and broke the balance at 2-1.
In the opportunity to reach second base with no outs, Socrates Brito retired with a fly ball to center field, but pinch runner Choi Jeong-yong tagged up and reached third base, and even succeeded in scoring with Lee Woo-sung’s surprise bunt.
After the game, Manager Kim Jong-guk said, “Lee Ui-ri laid the foundation for the team’s victory by blocking the opponent’s batting line with the minimum number of runs in 5⅓ innings. It is encouraging that his control has clearly improved since the last game.” “The fact that Yoon Jung-hyun, who came to the mound in this situation, blocked the team well without allowing any runs was a big help in the victory. All the pitchers who came later, including Lee Jun-young, Jeon Sang-hyun, and closer Jeong Hae-young, did their part,” he said.
He continued, “The tie situation continued until the second half of the game in the batting lineup. In the top of the 9th inning, when Kim Do-young had a chance to hit the leadoff hitter and steal base, captain Kim Seon-bin made a skillful hit and scored the winning run, and Lee Woo-sung also made a valuable addition by successfully hitting a squeeze according to the bench’s plan. “It made a point,” he said.
Finally, coach Kim Jong-guk said, “It is not an easy schedule, but I hope all the players will do their best like they did in today’s game. We were able to win thanks to the support of many spectators on the last day of the holiday. I also thank the fans.”