'Baseball genius' main head play?' KIA, Kim Do-young, but Samsung's three must-win players are sunk
'Baseball genius' main head play?' KIA, Kim Do-young, but Samsung's three must-win players are sunk
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Kia Tigers of South Korea has emerged from a three-game losing streak by destroying three of Samsung's strongest bullpen pitchers in succession. It was all the more valuable because it was a dramatic come-from-behind victory despite unfavorable performance by Kim Do-young, a "baseball genius."여우알바
KIA beat Samsung 9 to 5 in away match of the "2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League" held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Sunday. They tied the game at 0 to 4 in the early stage, and turned the tables in the 10th inning.
Kia, which has recently lost three consecutive games, has been leading the league with 46 wins, 33 losses and two draws. It took a breather by widening its gap versus second-ranked LG (45 wins, 37 losses and two draws), which lost 2:4 at an away game against the lowest-ranked Kiwoom in the league, to 2.5 games.
KIA got off to a bad start on the day. James Nail, the ace who I trusted, hit a two-run homerun unexpectedly by Samsung's Kang Min-ho in the bottom of the first inning. In the bottom of the third inning, with one out and runners on the first and second bases, Kang scored another RBI single, and Samsung scored a 3-0 run.
Since then, Kia has even given away points that it did not have to give. In the ensuing attack, Samsung's second baseman Koo Ja-wook was threatened, and third baseman Kim Do-young displayed absurd plays. He threw to the first base suddenly while driving Koo to the second base. If he tagged Koo Ja-wook as he was, he could have made an out.
Koo was threatened again while running from the third base, but he ran back to the third base and collided with his nail. Due to obstruction of running base, Samsung scored one free point, widening the gap to four points.
Koo Ja-wook, who attempted a double steal when Samsung's McKinnon struck out with runners on first and second bases with one out in the bottom of the third inning, is being judged as a home run due to obstruction of base running. Yonhap News
Kim hit a one-run home run in the top of the fourth inning. Kim, who tied for second in homers with his 22nd in this season, had to be replaced by Byun Woo-hyuk.
However, Kia has strong will to overcome its losing streak. In the top of the eighth inning, Na Sung-bum beat Lim Chang-min, a two-run homerun (season No. 10), a must-winner of the Samsung Lions, to lead the team to a one-run lead. In the top of the ninth inning, Han Jun-su scored a double off closing pitcher Oh Seung-hwan to create a chance to score a point, and Socrates Brito hit a timely hit to extend the game to the right and center, with runners on the first and second bases with one out.
In the top of the 10th inning, Kia finally took its first lead on the day. Leadoff hitter Na Sung-bum singled to right-handed Kim Jae-yoon, a must-win card for Samsung, and Choi Won-joon doubled to right field to make it 5-4, with one out and two on the second base that led to a sacrifice bunt. Han Jun-su hit shaken Kim Jae-yoon with a two-run homer to seal the victory.
Samsung also had a chance to end the game. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the first hitter Park Byung-ho hit a double to the left-handed side, followed by a sacrifice bunt. However, pinch hitter Kim Heon-gon ended up hitting a fly ball to the second base, and with two outs and runners on the first and third bases, Lee Jae-hyun struck out and hit the ground.
Starting pitcher Connor Seabold pitched seven innings and one run, but his seventh win (five losses) was lost due to fire in the bullpen. Samsung maintained its third place by 0.5 games against LG.
KT also beat Hanwha 6 to 5 in the 11th inning of extra time in an away game in Daejeon. With four consecutive wins, KT has advanced to eighth place by lowering Hanwha to ninth place. Hanwha is now trailing Kiwoom, which has won five consecutive games.