LG Rolls Past League-Leading KT 12-1 for a Fifth Straight Win
The LG Twins beat first-place KT Wiz 12-1 at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 18th to extend their winning streak to five games. Oh Ji-hwan went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs, while starter Tolhurst allowed one run on five hits with seven strikeouts over six innings for his 12th win of the season. KT third baseman Heo Kyung-min’s defensive struggles in the fifth inning helped tilt the game. KT’s seven-game winning streak ended, and Samsung, which beat Hanwha the same day, closed to within 1.5 games of the lead.
Source: 스타뉴스
Samsung Beat Hanwha 10-4 as Gu Ja-wook Drives In Five
The Samsung Lions beat the Hanwha Eagles 10-4 at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark on the 18th, cutting the gap to first-place KT to 1.5 games. Left fielder Gu Ja-wook, batting third, went 3-for-3 with five RBIs. After a double in the third inning that set up the first run, he cleared the bases with a two-out, bases-loaded double in the sixth. After the game he said, “I go into every game with the mindset that it could be the last one.” His season batting average stands at .363.
Source: OSEN
Lotte Beat NC 9-6 to End Three-Game Skid
The Lotte Giants beat the NC Dinos 9-6 at Sajik Stadium on the 18th to snap a three-game losing streak. Han Dong-hee’s game-tying solo homer in the second inning and Jang Doo-sung’s go-ahead RBI double turned the game, and Lotte added three runs in the fourth and two in the fifth to build a 7-1 lead. NC cut it to 7-5 in the eighth, but Jeon Min-jae’s two-run single sealed it. Starter Rodriguez earned the win with 7⅔ innings, five runs and nine strikeouts, while NC fell to five straight losses.
Source: OSEN
Doosan and Kiwoom Play to a 6-6 Draw in 11 Innings
The Doosan Bears and Kiwoom Heroes played to a 6-6 draw in 11 innings at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 18th after a four-hour, 20-minute battle. Doosan led 6-3 after the seventh, but Kiwoom’s Park Chan-hyuk tied it with a three-run homer in the top of the eighth. Park hit two home runs and drove in five, while Doosan’s An Jae-seok had three hits and Severino added two hits including a homer. Doosan stayed fifth at 65-60-5, and Kiwoom remained last at 45-84-4.
Source: 마이데일리
Han Dong-hee: “A Stepping Stone Toward 30 Homers, I Won’t Be Satisfied”
Lotte’s Han Dong-hee reached 20 home runs for the first time in his career with a game-tying solo shot to left-center in the second inning against NC on the 18th. It is the first 20-homer season by a Lotte hitter since Lee Dae-ho hit 23 in 2022. After the game, Han said, “Now that I’ve hit 20, it feels like there’s a path to 30. I won’t be satisfied and will work to hit even more.” He also shared that Lee Dae-ho, with whom he keeps in touch, told him to “hit it quickly and then swing more comfortably.”
Source: OSEN
Oh Ji-hwan Misses the Cycle but Stays “Team First”
LG’s Oh Ji-hwan hit a solo homer in the second inning, a single in the third, a triple in the seventh and a two-run homer in the eighth against KT on the 18th, but his first career cycle fell just short with only the double missing. “I’ve played baseball for 18 years and never had that kind of game, so it crossed my mind,” he said, adding, “The team mood is great, and I don’t like the attention shifting to individual achievements.” He said he was happy with the two homers and had gone for the triple because he hadn’t hit one all season.
Source: OSEN