8 straight wins in 2 years, 1 month…KIA jumps to 4th with upset win over SSG (종합)

토토사이트The Kia Tigers defeated SSG Landers closer Seo Jin-yong to extend their winning streak to eight games and move into fourth place for the first time in two years and one month.

KIA came from behind to beat SSG 8-6 in the visiting SSG Landers Field on Wednesday at SSG Landers Field in Incheon, South Korea, in the KBO Baseball 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL.

The win streak, which began on Aug. 24 against the KT WIZ in Suwon, extended to eight games.

It is the first time in two years and one month since July 1-August 13, 2021, that KIA has won eight straight games. Back then, the league was suspended on July 12 due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, followed by the Tokyo Olympics break, and KIA won eight straight games (one draw) over 44 days.

This time around, they went 16 days without a draw, extending their winning streak to eight games and moving up to fourth place for the first time in 117 days since May 9.

The teams in first through fourth place through Day 2 all lost on the day, and fifth-place KIA was the only team with a smile on its face as it jumped to fourth.

The winning percentage difference between KIA and the fifth-place NC Dinos is 0.0005 (KIA 0.5283, NC 0.5278).

After falling as low as ninth place in early June, KIA has been on a scary upswing lately and is leading the charge to shake up the top of the standings.

Kia’s Kim Do-young hits a grand slam
(SEOUL) Kim Do-young of the KIA Tigers roars after hitting a solo shot in the ninth inning against the SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Wednesday. [Courtesy of the KIA Tigers. Resale and DB prohibited].

Trailing 5-6 in the top of the eighth inning, KIA changed the momentum with a single to right-center field by Kim Sun-bin.

SSG made a gamble by bringing in closer Seo Jin-yong early.

However, Seo was unable to stop the hot KIA bats.

After Hwang Dae-in singled to left to put runners on first and second, KIA tied the game at 6-6 with a Kim Tae-gun single to center.

Koh Jong-wook, who came in as a pinch hitter, then hit a two-run single to left field that beat Seo Jin-yong.

In the ninth inning, Kim Do-young hit a wedge solo shot over the right field fence off Lee Roon.

Earlier in the day, KIA took the lead in the first inning on Choi Hyung-woo’s RBI double to center field that put runners on second and third.

SSG responded with a leadoff homer by Choo Shin-soo in the bottom of the first, but KIA answered with a two-run shot to left field by Hwang Dae-in in the top of the second.

SSG responded in the bottom of the second with a three-run homer to left by Cho Hyung-woo to make it 5-4.

After KIA tied the game with two outs in the top of the fifth inning on Park Chan-ho’s double and Kim Do-young’s RBI single to right, SSG regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth on Choi Jeong’s RBI single to left.

After a sluggish start, KIA batted four straight batters in the eighth inning to turn the game around, and Kim Do-young hit a solo shot in the ninth to celebrate the win and the upset.

The loss plunged third-place SSG, which had tried to turn things around by demoting hitting coach Lee Jin-young and pitching coach Cho Woong-chun to the second team and recalling hitting coach Park Jung-kwon and pitching coach Chae Byung-yong to the first team.

SSG fell into a four-game losing streak.

Choi Jeong-jeong added a goal to bring his career total to 1,354 points, one shy of the KBO record held by Doosan Bears coach Lee Seung-yeop (1,355), but he was unable to smile as his team lost.

Hanwha’s Moon Dong-ju makes last start against AG
(SEOUL) Yoon Dong-jin reports on the 2023 KBO League game between the Hanwha Eagles and the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on Wednesday. Hanwha starting pitcher Moon Dong-ju pitches in the fifth inning. 2023.9.3 mon@yna.co.kr

Leaders LG Twins and second-place KT Wiz were also swept by teams in the bottom half of the standings.

LG lost 3-5 to the last-place (10th) Hanwha Eagles at home in Jamsil.

Hanwha scored five runs in the top of the second inning after falling behind 0-1, capitalizing on four hits, a walk, and an error.

Leadoff hitter Kim Tae-yeon singled to right, Choi In-ho hit his first triple in the KBO to tie the game at 1-1, and Jang Jin-hyuk’s grounder was misplayed by first baseman Austin Dean to make it 2-1.

Lee Do-yoon followed with an RBI single and Noh Si-hwan with a two-run double to put the game out of reach.

Hanwha’s Moon Dong-ju struggled in his final regular-season start of the year, allowing three runs on 11 hits (one home run) in 4 1/3 innings with two walks and two strikeouts.

However, the Hanwha bullpen of Kim Bum-soo (1⅔ innings), Joo Hyun-sang (2 innings), and Park Sang-won (1 inning) closed out the remaining 4⅔ innings to preserve the win.

Hurado pitches well.
[Yonhap Photo]

KT fell to the ninth-ranked Kiwoom Heroes 0-7 in Gocheok.

Despite losing batting centerpiece Lee Jung-hoo and ace Ahn Woo-jin to injury, Kiwoom continued its recent four-game winning streak.

Kiwoom took the lead in the bottom of the third inning on Ronnie Dawson’s RBI double to left field with the bases loaded, and added another run in the fourth on Lim Byung-wook’s RBI double with runners on first and third.

Kiwoom starter Ariel Hurtado picked up his ninth win of the season (8-0) after throwing 6⅔ innings of no-hit ball.

Hurtado reached 99 pitches with two outs in the seventh inning, allowing just one hit and no walks before handing the mound over to Seokwon Yoon.

Buchanan on the mound.
[Yonhap Photo]

The Samsung Lions defeated the NC Dinos 6-1 in Daegu.

Samsung foreign pitcher David Buchanan, who was on short rest due to gallbladder symptoms, pitched 6⅔ innings, allowing one run (unearned) on five hits, and added a win (9-6) to his record for the first time in 36 days since July 29 against Kiwoom.

Samsung scored six runs in the top of the fourth inning as Kim Dong-jin, Kim Ho-jae, Ryu Ji-hyuk, Kim Hyun-joon, and Kim Sung-yoon hit consecutive singles and Oh Jae-il hit a three-run double with the bases loaded.

NC was helplessly defeated and lost the fourth spot to KIA.

Doosan’s starting pitcher Brandon
[Yonhap photo].

The Doosan Bears snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the Lotte Giants in Sajik, Busan.

With runners on first and third with no outs in the top of the third inning, Doosan first baseman Lee Yoo-chan extended the lead and Lotte starter Charlie Barnes grounded out to first base.

Lee bounced between first and second, and third baseman Kang Seung-ho, who was trying to take advantage of a gap in the Lotte defense, raced home. Barnes, covering first base, threw home, but Kang Seung-ho reached home plate first.

Doosan tacked on another run in the top of the eighth inning on Yang’s RBI single up the middle to put runners on first and second with two outs.

Doosan starter Brandon Waddell pitched six innings of five-hit ball to earn his seventh win of the season.

Doosan and Lotte were unable to play on days one and two due to rain.

The two teams will meet again on Monday, April 4, at Sajik Stadium, as the KBO has decided to make up games canceled on Saturday or Sunday on Monday. The KBO’s first “March