NC Score 7 in the 1st, Edge Hanwha 8-7
The NC Dinos beat the Hanwha Eagles 8-7 at home at Changwon NC Park on the 25th. In the bottom of the first, every starter from leadoff hitter Cheon Jae-hwan to No. 9 Kim Han-byeol reached base as NC put up seven runs, only the eighth time in KBO history an entire starting lineup has reached base in the first inning. Starter Koo Chang-mo gave up homers to Kang Baek-ho and Heo In-seo but allowed three runs (two earned) over six innings to earn his 11th win (11-7). The bullpen wobbled with four runs allowed in the ninth, but with two on and two out Shin Young-woo struck out Park Jung-hyun for his first career save. NC (61-2-69) held sixth place, 6.5 games behind fifth-place Doosan.
Source: News1
Hanwha’s Heo In-seo: First 20-HR Catcher in 37 Years
Hanwha Eagles catcher Heo In-seo, 23, turned on a Koo Chang-mo curveball in the top of the sixth against NC on the 25th for a solo shot to left-center, his 20th home run of the season. It is the first 20-homer season by an Eagles catcher in 37 years, since Yoo Seung-an hit 21 in 1989. A 2022 second-round pick who completed his military service with Sangmu, Heo is batting .291 with 20 homers, 73 RBIs and an .850 OPS in 119 games, giving him an edge in the Rookie of the Year race. He also added an RBI single in the ninth to cut the deficit to 8-7, but Hanwha fell by one run and slipped to a season-worst 10-game losing streak.
Source: Star News
Rainout Gives Samsung a Breather in Title Chase
Rain in the Seoul area on Chuseok, the 25th, washed out Lotte-Doosan at Jamsil and Samsung-SSG at Munhak; both games will be rescheduled. Second-place Samsung, three games behind leader KT, had planned a bullpen day behind spot starter Kim Baek-san, but the cancellation gives the club four days off before hosting Hanwha in Daegu on the 29th, allowing it to line up Won Tae-in, Pedeck and Jurado. Kim Ji-chan, Lee Jae-hyun and Bae Chan-seung are also due back from the Asian Games. Samsung leads the season series with KT 9-4 with three head-to-head games left, and manager Park Jin-man said, “We can definitely do it (finish first),” vowing to fight to the end.
Source: Star News