LG’s Bullpen Shuts Down Doosan
The LG Twins beat the Doosan Bears 5-1 at Jamsil Stadium on September 2, extending their winning streak to three games. Starter Kim Yun-sik was pulled early in the third inning, but a parade of relievers, Kim Jin-su, Lee Woo-chan, Kim Young-woo, and John Kennedy, kept Doosan scoreless through the seventh. LG scored four runs in the first inning alone, powered by Moon Bo-gyeong’s two-RBI single and Park Dong-won’s infield hit, before Moon Jeong-bin sealed the win with his 16th home run of the season in the eighth. Manager Yeom Kyung-yup credited the bullpen afterward, saying six relievers combined for 6⅔ scoreless innings of defense-first baseball. The win kept LG in third place in the standings.
Source: Ilgan Sports
Choi Won-tae’s 10-K Gem Powers Samsung
The Samsung Lions defeated the Lotte Giants 8-5 at Daegu on September 2, running their winning streak to seven games. Starter Choi Won-tae earned his sixth win of the season with a quality start, allowing just two runs on four hits while striking out 10 over six innings. Leadoff hitter Kim Ji-chan drove in three runs on three hits, highlighted by a three-RBI triple in the sixth inning that pushed Samsung’s lead to 8-2. Lotte’s Ko Seung-min fought back with solo home runs in the second and fourth innings, but it wasn’t enough. Closer Kim Jae-yun held off Lotte’s late rally in the eighth and ninth to seal the win, dropping Lotte to a sixth straight loss.
Source: Ilgan Sports
KT Holds Off Kang Baek-ho’s Blast
The KT Wiz edged the Hanwha Eagles 9-6 at Suwon on September 2 for their second straight win. KT built an early lead by capitalizing on Hanwha’s miscues against starter Ryu Hyun-jin, but Kang Baek-ho’s three-run homer, his 28th of the season, tied the game in the fifth. KT regained control in the eighth as Sugimoto Koki struck out the heart of Hanwha’s order, Kang Baek-ho, Noh Si-hwan, and Kim Tae-yeon, in order, while Sam Hilliard added his 31st home run of the season for insurance. Kim Min-hyeok also drove in runs with a double in the seventh and a triple in the eighth. The loss dropped Hanwha to an eighth straight defeat and ninth place in the standings.
Source: Money Today
Walk-Off Walk Lifts NC Over KIA
The NC Dinos edged the KIA Tigers 3-2 at Changwon on September 2, extending their winning streak to five games. KIA struck first on Na Sung-bum’s 26th home run of the season in the second inning, but NC answered in the fourth with back-to-back RBI hits from Park Kun-woo and Kim Hwi-jip to take the lead. After both bullpens held firm through a tense middle stretch, catcher Kim Hyung-jun drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to complete a dramatic walk-off win. Starter Toda Natsuki allowed just two runs over six strong innings, and Jeon Sa-min earned the win in relief. KIA closer Lee Eui-ri struggled in the ninth, allowing a walk and a hit. The result gave NC their sixth straight win over KIA this season.
Source: Maeil Business Newspaper
SSG Rallies from Five Down to Win
The SSG Landers stormed back from a 6-1 deficit to beat the Kiwoom Heroes 9-6 at Gocheok on September 2. Kiwoom had built its lead on two-run homers from Davidson in the fifth inning and Yeo Dong-wook in the sixth, but SSG chipped away in the ninth as Kim Jae-hwan’s dramatic solo home run tied the game at 6-6. With runners on first and second, Oh Tae-gon then delivered a go-ahead single to left field to put SSG ahead 7-6, and the Landers tacked on more runs to close it out. The win pushed SSG past Hanwha and into eighth place in the standings.
Source: Money Today