I can see the 3rd place! Lotte 0.5G's fierce chase KIA's 3rd consecutive win...Ko Jong-wook did it again.
Jul 01, 2025
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KIA came from behind to win 3-2 against the '2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League' SSG Landers at Gwangju Kia Champions Field on the 1st. KIA, ranked fourth, had 42 wins, 35 losses and 3 draws in the season, up to 0.5 games behind Lotte, ranked third. fifth-ranked SSG failed to close the gap with KIA and recorded 39 wins, 37 losses and 3 draws in the season.
KIA made the starting lineup with Lee Chang-jin (right wing), Park Chan-ho (striker), Patrick Wisdom (third baseman), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Ko Jong-wook (left wing), Oh Sun-woo (first baseman), Kim Ho-ryeong (middle fielder), Kim Tae-gun (captor), and Park Min (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Kim Geon-guk.
SSG faced off with Jihoon Choi (center fielder), Guillermo Herredia (left fielder), Choi Jung (third baseman), Han Yu-sum (designated hitter), Ko Myung-joon (first baseman), Park Sung-han (striker), Ahn Sang-hyun (second baseman), Cho Hyung-woo (capture), and Park Ji-hwan (right fielder). The starting pitcher is Kim Gun-woo.
KIA manager Lee Bum-ho placed Ko Jong-wook, the hero of the previous game, in the central lineup. Ko Jong-wook started in left field as the first batter against the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 29th of last month and scored 3 hits and 1 RBI in 4 at-bats to lead the team to a 12-2 victory. Ko Jong-wook, who was interviewed by Su-hoon, shed tears last year, recalling his sick wife and the past when he considered retiring from the second division this year.
Manager Lee said, "(Oh) Sun-woo is a little weak against the left because the opponent is a left-handed pitcher. With (Go) Jong-wook at the center, (Choi) Hyung-woo has good contact even if it's short. I think contact is better than Sunwoo, so I think there will be an RBI chance behind Hyungwoo. I thought Jongwook would be better than Sunwoo when I saw the contact", he explained.
Ko Jong-wook met expectations by recording two hits and one RBI in four at-bats, including the final hit. Oh Seon-woo recorded one hit and two RBIs in three at-bats, showing a nutritious performance.
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It was SSG's first place. After one out in the top of the second inning, Ko Myung-joon got on base with an infield hit to the left of shortstop, and Park Sung-han hit a double to the left of the left field to make it second and third bases with one out. Ahn Sang-hyun then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to make it 0-1.
He allowed a home run to Herredia in the top of the third inning. Kim Geon-guk threw a fork ball at the ball count of 2B2S, and as it was formed high, Herredia was caught in a blind eye. The score is 0-2.
KIA's bat, which had been quiet, began to burst in the bottom of the fifth inning. SSG lowered starter Kim Gun-woo, who pitched four scoreless innings, and replaced him with Choi Min-joon. After one out, Park Chan-ho and Wisdom had consecutive hits and Choi Hyung-woo's walk gave them a chance to load the bases. When Ko Jong-wook got on base with a ground ball to the third base, the flow was broken once when third baseman Park Chan-ho was forced out of the home, but with the bases loaded with two outs, Oh Sun-woo hit a timely two-run hit to balance the game 2-2.
Ko Jong-wook stepped up as a troubleshooter for two consecutive games. In the bottom of the seventh inning, leadoff hitter Park Chan-ho's ball hit shortstop Park Sung-han's glove and became a hit to left-center. Park Chan-ho stepped on second base thanks to a wild pitch by opposing pitcher Lee Woon. Ko Jong-wook took the batter's box with two outs and a runner on second base without a follow-up hit. Ko Jong-wook hit a timely hit to turn the game around 3-2.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
