The two-hit performance was harmonious.
The Kia Tigers pulled off a come-from-behind 5-1 victory over the KT Wiz in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on Wednesday.
The starting lineup was Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Socrates Brito (left fielder), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Lee Woo-sung (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Seo Gun-chang (first baseman), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Choi Won-joon (center fielder). James Nail started the game.
Nail pitched six innings of five-hit ball, no walks, seven strikeouts, and one earned run. He picked up his second quality start of the season (6+ innings pitched, 3 earned runs or less) and his second win. Jang Hyun-sik, Kwak Do-gyu, and Jeon Sang-hyun followed with one inning of scoreless relief each.
At the plate, Seo Gun-chang was on fire, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. It was his first home run in 560 days since September 21, 2022, against KIA, when he was a member of the LG Twins. Kim Tae-gun also had two hits and two RBIs in four at-bats, Kim Sun-bin had three hits in four at-bats, and Choi Won-joon had two hits in four at-bats. KIA produced 13 hits in total.
KT took the lead in the first inning, but couldn’t hold on to it and suffered the loss. The starting lineup for the game was Bae Jae-dae (center fielder), Cheon Sung-ho (second baseman), Mel Rojas Jr. (left fielder), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Hwang Jae-gyun (third baseman), Jang Sung-woo (catcher), Cho Yong-ho (right fielder), Moon Sang-chul (first baseman), and Kim Sang-soo (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Uhm Sang-baek.
Uhm gave up three runs on seven hits (one home run) in five innings with four strikeouts and no walks. He took the loss. It was his third loss of the season. Second pitcher Joo Kwon gave up two runs in one inning, while Moon Yong-ik, Woo Kyu-min, and Lee Sun-woo each pitched one scoreless inning.
The batters combined for seven hits. Cheon Sung-ho went 2-for-4, Kim Sang-soo went 1-for-2, Moon Sang-cheol went 1-for-3, and Rojas, Kang Baek-ho, and Jung Soo-ho each went 1-for-4.
In the bottom of the first inning, KT had runners on second and third after a strikeout by Bae Jae-dae, a single up the middle by Chun Sung-ho, a fly ball to center field by Rojas, and a single to right by Kang Baek-ho. Kang Baek-ho then attempted to steal second base. The throw from catcher Kim Tae-gun was not caught by second baseman Kim Sun-bin. Kim’s throwing error allowed Chun Sung-ho to score and Kang Baek-ho to take second. The score was 1-0. Hwang Jae-gyun followed with a grounder to shortstop.
Kia evened the score in the top of the second inning. After Choi Hyung-woo singled to right field, Lee Woo-sung singled to center and Kim Sun-bin singled to right to put runners on first and third. Seo Gun-chang singled to left field, scoring Lee Woo-sung. With runners on first and second, Kim Tae-gun grounded out to second and Choi Won-joon flied out to center field. The tie ended the top of the second inning.
In the top of the fourth inning, KIA added another run. Choi Hyung-woo singled to left, Lee Woo-sung flied out to right, and Kim Sun-bin grounded out to second. Seo Gun-chang stepped to the plate. He hits a three-pitch changeup off the plate. He smashed it over the wall behind the right-field fence for a two-run home run. It gave the team a 3-1 lead. Kim Tae-gun singled to center and Choi Won-joon followed with a single to right. Choi Won-joon stole second and third. Park Chan-ho flied out to left field to end the inning.
Kia drove in a run in the top of the sixth inning. Lee Woo-sung singled to right, Kim Sun-bin singled to center, and Seo Gun-chang doubled to right-center to put runners on second and third. Kim Tae-gun followed with an RBI double to center field. The score was now 5-1. Choi Won-jun ended the inning with a walk-off single.
Kia set out to solidify. In the bottom of the seventh, Nail was removed from the mound and replaced by Jang Hyun-sik. Jang Hyun-sik got Jang Jang-woo to fly out to center field and then gave up a 먹튀검증 single to right to Choi Soo-ho. Moon Sang-chul singled to left field and Jang Hyun-sik walked to load the bases. Jang Hyun-sik struck out pinch-hitter Park Byung-ho on a wild pitch to end the threat.
In the bottom of the eighth, Kwak Do-kyu came to the mound for KIA. After striking out Choi Jae-dae on a grounder to third, he gave up a double to left to Chun Sung-ho. A walk put runners on first and third with one out. Kwak struck out Rojas on a wild pitch and Kang Baek-ho on a swinging strikeout to put out the fire.
In the bottom of the ninth, Jeon Sang-hyun was in charge. He got Hwang Jae-gyun to fly out to center field, pinch-hitter Kim Min-hyuk to ground out to shortstop, and struck out Choi Sung-ho on a wild pitch. The clean triple play sealed the win.
Meanwhile, KT utilized Kang Baek-ho, who started the day as the designated hitter, as a catcher in the top of the eighth inning. He shared the battery with pitchers Woo Kyu-min and Lee Sun-woo. This is Kang’s fourth appearance as a catcher since his professional debut. His most recent time in the catcher’s mask was last month 31st against the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles.
The Kang-Baek-ho-Woo battery gave up a single to Kim Sun-bin in the top of the eighth inning before retiring Seo Gun-chang on a fly ball to left field and Kim Tae-gun on a fly ball to center field. After Choi Won-jun singled to right, Park Chan-ho grounded out to shortstop.
In the top of the ninth, it was time for Kang Baek-ho and Lee Sun-woo. He struck out Kim Do-young, grounded out to Socrates at third base, and got Choi Hyung-woo to ground out to first base for the third out of the inning.