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| Samsung-Kium match held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 22nd. Koo Ja-wook is cheering after hitting a two-run shot with two outs in the top of the eighth inning. Gocheok = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.22/ |
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Samsung swept the three consecutive games against Kiwoom. The fight between the middle ranks has been rekindled.
The Samsung Lions won the final game of the three consecutive games during the week against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 22nd, thanks to Koo Ja-wook's two-run shot in the top of the eighth inning and starter Reyes' hard pitching.
With this victory, Samsung swept all three consecutive games, shaking off the pain of being swept in three consecutive games against the Lotte Giants last weekend. With 24 wins, 1 draw, and 25 losses, the return to the 50% winning rate is also on the horizon. On the contrary, Kiwoom, the lowest-ranked team, has lost four consecutive games again, making it difficult to keep its winning rate in the 20% range.
It was an unexpected pitching match. Kiwoom's batting lineup is in a slump, but Samsung's starting Reyes was also not good. He has lost only two games in the last three games, but he has lost more than three runs without completing six innings. With the team on the verge of a sweep, Kiwoom did not know whether Kim Yeon-joo, a second-year player, would be able to overcome the momentum of Samsung's batters.
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| Samsung-Kium match held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 22nd. Samsung starter Reyes is pitching. Gocheok = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.22/ |
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So it was unexpected. Reyes was perfect in and of itself. We need to look closely at whether Reyes' ball was good or whether Kiwoom hitters were too hasty, but Reyes blocked Kiwoom's batters with two hits and one walk until the seventh inning. What's surprising is the number of pitches. He got off 71 pitches. It was about 10 per inning.
Samsung had to remember that Kim Yeon-joo won her first start in the previous appearance. Before the game, head coach Hong Won-ki said "Confidence would have stuck", and as he said, he pitched really bravely and well. Kim Yeon-joo also pitched five innings of one hit and no run. 80 pitches. Not long since I joined the starting rotation, so I needed to manage the number of pitches.
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| Samsung-Kium match held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 22nd. Kiwoom starter Kim Yeon-joo is pitching. Gocheok = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.22/ |
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Of course, Reyes, who has a small number of pitches, continued to keep the mound for Samsung. Kiwoom faced off with a bullpen. As soon as Lee Joon-woo appeared in the sixth inning, he threw eight consecutive balls and faced a crisis, but Kim Sung-min handled Koo Ja-wook with a double play and made a scoreless inning.
a quiet game between the two teams. The game was decided in the eighth inning. Kiwoom was at peace even when it caught two out-counts due to the rise in the must-win ratio. However, after two outs, Kim Sung-yoon hit a hit and there was a gap. The next batter is Koo Ja-wook. A situation that must have been heartbroken by the double play through the previous at-bat. As expected, he was a star. Koo Ja-wook technically pulled Yang Ji-yul's body slider in a 2B1S situation. The high-stretching ball hit the foul pole on the right side of Gocheok Sky Dome and fell. If only one more bend had been made, the ball that would have been a foul would have led to the final two-run shot. It wasn't Yang Ji-yul's real pitch, but it was a scene that Koo Ja-wook's technique was good. The ninth home run of the season came when it was very important.
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| Samsung-Kium match held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 22nd. Koo Ja-wook is hugging Reyes after hitting a two-run shot with two outs in the top of the eighth inning. Gocheok = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.22/ |
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Reyes also took the mound in the eighth inning with winning requirements. I was shaken as if I had lost a bit of strength. After getting a hit by pinch hitter Jeon Tae-hyun, Lee Joo-hyung was sent out with a pitch. This is the highlight. What Park Joo Hong hit?G tried to drop the ball to an ambiguous place between the left fielder and the third baseman, but shortstop Lee Jae-hyun ran with all his might and threw himself to clear the ball. The situation, which will be a full base crisis with no outs, has changed to first and second bases with one out.
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| Samsung-Kium match held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 22nd. Shortstop Lee Jae-hyun catches Park Joo-hong's missed ball with no outs and runners on the first and second bases in the bottom of the eighth inning. Gocheok = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.22/ |
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And there was another variable. Catcher Kang Min-ho urgently headed toward the bench with Eo Jun-seo on the first and second bases with two outs. I said something to director Park Jin-man. What I instinctively felt was that Reyes's pitch had dropped. It was time to make a cold judgment because the next batter was Song Sung-moon. a change of pitcher. Samsung posted rookie Bae Chan-seung and Bae Chan-seung caught Song Sung-moon to put out the urgent fire. Song Sung-moon also persisted by making a foul ball, but ended up with a fly to the second baseman.
Samsung finished the game with Lee Ho-sung in the bottom of the ninth inning. Lee Ho-sung's second save after finishing full time. Lee Ho-sung received hits from the lead Choi Joo-hwan and Kim Tae-jin after two outs, but he improved by calmly handling the rest of the batters.
Reyes pitched 86 pitches in seven ⅔ innings with two hits, five strikeouts and no runs, winning his fourth win (three losses) of the season. The 7th ⅔ was also the most innings since debuting in the KBO League. The previous record was seven innings.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
