Lee Ho-yeon hits KBO-first walk-off pinch slam
In the Lotte game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Aug. 25, KIA trailed with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth when pinch hitter Lee Ho-yeon drove a forkball from Lotte closer Kim Won-joong over the right-field wall, completing an 8-5 comeback win. It marked the first time in KBO League history that a pinch hitter delivered a walk-off grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to erase a deficit. A pinch-hit walk-off grand slam itself is only the league’s second, following Song Won-guk’s in 2001. Lee, who had hit just .200 in 12 games this season, delivered the biggest swing of his year.
Source: Ilgan Sports
Austin’s cycle powers LG’s extra-inning thriller
In the Aug. 25 game against NC at Jamsil, LG’s Austin hit a go-ahead three-run homer (his 33rd of the season) in the 8th inning, then added a triple off the center-field wall to lead off the 10th, completing the cycle. Hong Chang-gi then delivered a walk-off single through right-center with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th, sealing a 5-4 win. LG turned a rollercoaster of a game into a crucial victory in the season’s late-stage standings battle.
Source: Money Today
Choi Min-seok tops win column, Yang Eui-ji hits 300th HR
Doosan beat KT 3-1 at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on Aug. 25. Starter Choi Min-seok allowed one run over six innings to pick up his 12th win of the season, taking sole possession of the league lead in wins. In the sixth, Yang Eui-ji turned on a sinker from KT starter Soh Hyeong-jun for a go-ahead solo homer, reaching 300 career home runs at age 39 years and two months — the oldest catcher ever to hit the milestone. Soh took the loss, his third of the season, after allowing solo shots to both Yang and Jung Soo-bin.
Source: MyDaily
SSG rookie Kim Min-jun keeps historic QS streak alive
SSG cruised to a 7-1 win over Hanwha at Incheon SSG Landers Field on Aug. 25. Starting pitcher Kim Min-jun, a 20-year-old rookie, allowed just one run on four hits (one homer) with six strikeouts over five innings, but was pulled after 92 pitches and did not qualify for the win. The outing extended his quality-start streak to five straight games, just short of the six-game streak by high-school-draft rookie Joo Hyung-kwang (then with Lotte) in 1994. “I wanted to go one more inning, but my pitch count had climbed too high,” Kim said after the game.
Source: Ilgan Sports
Samsung, Kiwoom battle to 3-3 extra-inning tie
Samsung and Kiwoom fought to a 3-3 tie through extra innings at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome on Aug. 25. Kiwoom took the lead on a Seo Geon-chang solo homer in the third and added a run in the seventh, but Samsung clawed back in the eighth, keyed by a two-run double from Koo Ja-wook. Samsung starter Austin Bosse pitched well, allowing two runs over six innings, while Diaz hit his 20th homer of the season. The tie trimmed Samsung’s gap behind first-place KT to just half a game.
Source: Ilgan Sports