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| photo courtesy of the KIA Tigers |
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Shocking luge series.
The KIA Tigers, who are busy going to the semi-finals, recorded a shocking luge series against the lowest-ranked Kiwoom Heroes.
KIA lost 10-11 in the last game of three consecutive games during the week against Kiwoom at Gwangju Kia Champions Field on the 21st. KIA, which met Park Joo-sung, Kim Sun-ki, and Kim Yeon-joo, the opposing five starting candidates in the first round, and won with a bat show, including four home runs, faced Alcantara and Merceder in the second and third games. The bat got cold. The defense was a series of errors.
It was a good start. After one out in the bottom of the first inning, Kim Ho-ryeong hit a preemptive solo shot against Mercedes. Kim Ho-ryeong properly kicked a slider with a low first pitch. Kim Ho-ryeong's fifth home run of the season.
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| photo courtesy of the KIA Tigers |
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Perhaps shaken by this home run, Mercedes gave up a straight walk against the next batter, Kim Sun-bin. He is a pitcher with very good control, but as if he was quite shocked, he got a hit by Choi Hyung-woo, a double by Na Sung-bum, and gave an additional run.
However, Kiwoom's momentum won the previous day could not be ignored. And KIA's disappointing defense continued again. The previous day, KIA lost with two fatal errors in the third inning. Leading Lee Ju-hyung sent a ground ball between the first and second basemen, but first baseman Oh Sun-woo, who was following the ball, suddenly gave up the ball and went back to first base to make a hit. It's not a mistake, but a disappointing judgment. Oh Seon-woo also failed to catch Song Sung-moon's ground ball in the first inning, causing him to get on base by mistake.
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| photo courtesy of the KIA Tigers |
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And the next play was not an error, but it was a shame. Kim Tae-jin's straight hit flew to left field. It's a good hit, but any outfielder who plays in the first team has to catch it. However, Kim Seok-hwan, who was called up the previous day, followed the ball well, but left a regret at the last port. The record is a double, but this was also a disappointing defense.
Starter Kim Do-hyun seemed to overcome the crisis with one run by treating Kim Dong-heon and Eo Jun-seo as pitcher ground balls, but Park Joo-hong received an additional timely hit after two outs. And after allowing a hit to Song Sung-moon, he was hit by an upset three-run shot through Choi Joo-hwan. It is Choi Joo-hwan's bat that fires when he comes to his hometown of Gwangju, and a home run shot exploded at an important moment on this day as well.
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| Kiwoom-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 10th. Choi Joo-hwan, who hit a two-run timely hit in the first inning, is welcomed after scoring with a follow-up hit. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.10/ |
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Kiwoom, which gained momentum, added five more points in the first two innings of the third inning, bringing about a win early. Starting with a walk by lead Lim Ji-yeol, Kim Tae-jin, Kim Dong-heon, Eo Jun-seo, and Park Joo-hong had consecutive hits. KIA lowered starter Kim Do-hyun and put in Kim Ki-hoon, but Song Sung-moon's timely hit and Choi Joo-hwan's sacrifice fly came out to fill five points.
KIA couldn't give up either. Following Choi Hyung-woo's RBI double in the third inning, Na Sung-bum's two-run shot narrowed the gap to 5-105 points. However, Kim Ki-hoon's wild pitch in the top of the fourth inning gave him a score, losing his strength.
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| photo courtesy of the KIA Tigers |
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KIA also had one last chance. The game began to fluctuate after starting Mercedes, who had been playing well, went down. Mercedes went down with one out count in the seventh inning, but the atmosphere changed as Park Min and Park Chan-ho made consecutive hits after one out. Kim Sun-bin's timely hit led to a one-point chase, with two outs and runners on first and third bases. Kiwoom quickly raised left-hander Yoon Seok-won, but Choi Hyung-woo and Na Sung-beom hit consecutive RBI timely hits, changing the game to 8-11 close. However, Kiwoom Battery, who saw through KIA's operation in the following opportunity, pulled the ball outside, and Na Sung-beom, the first baseman caught in the skip motion, was caught by the checker in vain, throwing cold water on the chasing atmosphere.
However, KIA had the last counterattack card left. Wisdom, who was not in good condition after the game the previous day, including receiving fluid treatment due to severe dehydration, came out as a pinch hitter and hit a two-run shot against Jeon Joon-pyo. 29th of the season. There is only one left until the 30th home run.
Kiwoom put Cho Young-gun, who was full-time after Joo Seung-woo's injury, in the eighth inning with two outs. Cho Young-gun barely managed to pass the eighth inning due to Park Chan-ho's persistent victory. He faced a major crisis until the ninth inning. a bases loaded with one out. However, Kim Tae-gun's well-hit ball flew in front of left fielder Lim Ji-yeol, and Park Jung-woo, who was running back to second base, made an accurate throw before coming to the base to end the game. The third baseman was out at second base before stepping home, so no score was made. KIA even conducted a video review, but Kim Tae-jin's foot, which received the ball, touched slightly and became a force-out. Coach Lee Bum-ho protested fiercely after the game, but nothing changed.
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| photo courtesy of Kiwoom Heroes |
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Kiwoom starter Mercedes pitched 103 pitches in six ⅓ innings, allowing six hits, two walks, eight strikeouts, and five runs to win his first KBO league debut. Although he allowed five runs on the day, he showed his stable performance following the previous two games of good pitching, increasing the possibility of a delay rate. The maximum speed of the fastball was only 145 kilometers, but he overcame the KIA lineup by showing the essence of 'black horse' through skillful game management. It was a pitch that showed the record of playing more than 700 innings while playing seven seasons in the Japanese professional baseball stage.
KIA starter Kim Do-hyun suffered his sixth loss of the season, suffering 10 hits and 10 runs in two ⅓ innings. He did so well in the first half, but in the second half, he recorded only three losses in five games.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
