The LG Twins snapped a two-game losing streak with a win over the KT Wiz.
LG won 13-5 against KT in the 2024 KBO League on Sunday at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, South Korea. LG pounded out 13 hits and 12 walks in the win.
Starting pitcher Lim Chan-kyu earned the win, allowing one run on seven hits (one home run) with two walks and five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He earned his first win of the season in his ninth start. Top hitter Hong Chang-ki went 2-for-2 with a double, three RBI, one walk and three runs scored. Moon Sung-ju was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs and Kim Hyun-soo was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored.
LG started Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (designated hitter), Austin (first baseman), Moon Sung-joo (left fielder), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Koo Bon-hyeok (third baseman), Heo Do-hwan (catcher), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). Moon Bo-kyung, who is batting 3-for-6 (1-for-28) in his last 10 games, is out of the lineup for the time being.
Before the game, manager Yoon Kyung-yup said, “Moon won’t play until next Tuesday and will do a lot of batting practice. In a winning game, he will play first base defense at the end. He is late in timing the fastball, and because he doesn’t look at it, he is chasing the ball and not making his own swing.”
KT started the game with Kim Min-hyuk (left fielder), Jung Jun-young (right fielder), Kang Baek-ho (catcher), Rojas (designated hitter), Moon Sang-cheol (first baseman), Cheon Sung-ho (second baseman), Hwang Jae-gyun (third baseman), Jang Jun-won (shortstop), and Ahn Chi-young (center fielder) in the starting lineup. KT made one adjustment to the first team roster. Kim Gun-hyung and Kim Byung-joon were sent down to the second team, while Jeong Jun-young and Ahn Chi-young were called up to the first team and immediately entered the starting lineup.
LG scored one run in each of the first two innings. In the top of the first, Hong Chang-ki drew a walk and Park Hae-min singled up the middle to put runners on first and second with no outs. Kim Hyun-soo singled to straightaway center field and Austin struck out swinging. With runners on first and second, Moon Sung-ju singled up the middle to score the go-ahead run.
In the bottom of the second, Koo Bon-hyeok singled to center field and Heo Do-hwan grounded out to shortstop. Two batters later, Shin Min-jae drew a walk to load the bases. Hong Chang-ki took a changeup (124 mph) from KT starter Won Sang-hyun and hit a three-run homer that cleared the top of the right-field fence. The runner from first scored to make it 2-0.
LG got on the board in the third when Kim Hyun-soo led off with a single to left. Austin was replaced by pinch-hitter Kim Bum-seok with the flu. Kim Bum-seok struck out. Moon Sung-ju singled and advanced to second on a walk. Moon then hit a single to center field to make it 3-0.
Moon Sung-joo was replaced by Choi Won-young at the plate in the bottom of the third inning after he was tagged out trying to steal second base and suffered a finger bruise.
KT got one back in the fourth inning. Rojas, the leadoff hitter, was disappointed when he pulled a 112-kilometer curveball off LG starter Im Chan-kyu on strike one for a foul ball that just cleared the right-field fence. But three pitches later, he took a 113-kilometer curveball for a solo home run over the right-field wall. His 11th home run of the season.
In the top of the fifth, Ahn Chi-young led off with a single to left. Kim Min-hyuk followed with a single to right to put runners on first and second, but the runners were unable to capitalize. Jung Jun-young, who had two hits earlier, struck out swinging at a curveball from LG starter Lim Chan-kyu on a full count. Kang Baek-ho left the game with right back discomfort and was replaced by Jang Sung-woo. Jang failed to capitalize on the opportunity with a grounder to shortstop.
In the sixth inning, both LG and KT missed good chances. In the top of the sixth, Hong Chang-ki singled to center and Park Hae-min singled to center to put 토토사이트 runners on first and second. With runners at first and second, Kim Hyun-soo was out on a grounder to the first baseman. With runners at second and third, Kim Bum-seok struck out.
In the bottom of the sixth, Rojas drew a walk to lead off the inning. After Moon Sang-cheol struck out, Chun Sung-ho hit a double down the center field line to put runners on second and third. LG pulled starter Im Chan-kyu and brought in Kim Jin-sung as a relief pitcher. Hwang Jae-gyun grounded out to first base, and pinch-hitter Park Bang-ho drew a walk to load the bases. Ahn Chi-hyeong struck out swinging on a forked ball by Kim Jin-sung.
KT pulled within one run in the seventh inning. Kim Min-hyuk drew a walk against pitcher Kim Yoo-young. When pinch-hitter Oh Yoon-seok grounded to the third baseman, the lead runner was thrown out at second base, putting runners on first and second. Jang Jang-woo drew a walk and Rojas followed with an RBI single to right to make it 5-2.
LG made a pitching change from Kim Yoo-young to Park Myung-geun. Moon Sang-chul drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Chun Sung-ho grounded to the first baseman, but the runner at third was thrown out at home, leaving the bases loaded with no outs. Hwang Jae-gyun grounded out to shortstop to end the threat.
In the top of the 8th, LG’s leadoff hitter, Heo Do-hwan, drew a walk. He was replaced at first base by Choi Seung-min. Choi Seung-min tried to steal second, but was tagged out. Shin Min-jae struck out. Two batters later, Hong Chang-ki singled to center field. KT changed the pitcher from Han Cha-hyun to Moon Yong-ik. Park Hae-min drew a walk, and with runners on first and second, Kim Hyun-soo hit a single to left to make it 6-2.
Moon Bo-kyung drew a walk to load the bases. KT changed pitchers again, this time to Kim Young-hyun. Choi Won-young drove in a run with a pitch to make it 7-2. Oh Ji-hwan followed with a pushing double to make it 8-2. After Koo Bon-hyeok hit a ground ball, Kim Young-hyun made a throwing error that went over the first baseman’s height, allowing two runners to cross home plate and make the score 10-2.
KT loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff walk to Shin Bong-ki, a single to center by Ahn Chi-young, and a walk to Kim Min-hyuk. After Cho Sung-ho struck out, Cho Dae-hyun drove in a run with a pushing single.
LG switched pitchers from Lee Jong-joon to Kim Dae-hyun. Rojas was hit by a pitch to make the score 10-4. With runners on first and second, Rojas struck out swinging. Moon Sang-chul struck out swinging to end the threat.
In the ninth inning, Shin Min-jae and Hong Chang-ki drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for LG. KT’s pitcher changed from Kim Young-hyun to Woo Kyu-min. Both runners scored when Park Hae-min hit a single to left field that left fielder Kim Min-hyuk dropped behind the plate. The score became 12-4. Park Hae-min advanced to third. Kim Hyun-soo hit a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 13-4.
Meanwhile, the pitching staffs of both teams combined for 21 walks (KT 10, LG 2, LG 9), which took away the tension in the late innings.