This is the first of many. Courtesy of the Hanwha Eagles
The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) Kiwoom Heroes picked up their first win of the season over the SSG Landers thanks to home runs from resurrected “Heroes” Lee Jung-hoo and Kim Hye-sung. The Hanwha Eagles rode a pinch-hit grand slam from Lee Jin-young to defeat the Samsung Lions.
Lee Jung-hoo and Kim Hye-sung hit one-run homers in the top of the eighth inning to help Kiwoom come from behind to win a thrilling 4-3 victory over SSG in the 토토사이트 KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Thursday. It was the first win for Kiwoom, which had lost all eight games against SSG this season. It ended a 10-game losing streak dating back to last season’s Korean Series.
SSG, who had won two consecutive games in a row, led 3-2 by the end of the seventh inning. However, Kiwoom tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the eighth with a solo home run by leadoff hitter Lee Jung-hoo, and Kim Hye-sung followed with a single a batter later to make it 4-3.
Lee went 3-for-4 with a home run on the day, reminding everyone of last year’s KBO Most Valuable Player (MVP).
In Daejeon, Hanwha pounded out 12 hits en route to a 10-5 victory over Samsung. From the very beginning, they pounded Samsung starter Albert Suarez. Suarez had one of his worst days, allowing nine runs (nine earned) on eight hits and three walks in four and two-thirds innings.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, with Hanwha trailing 6-5, Lee Jin-young came to bat and hit the KBO’s first pinch-hit grand slam of the 2023 season. It was Lee’s first career grand slam.
Threatened with a weekend series sweep by the ‘momentum’ Lotte Giants, the KIA Tigers pounded out 15 hits and snapped a two-game losing streak with a 6-0 victory. Sixth-ranked KIA moved to within half a game of the fifth-ranked Doosan Bears, who lost 5-2 to the KT WIZ earlier in the day.
The tie was broken in the top of the sixth inning as KIA’s Lee Yi-ri and Lotte’s Han Hyun-hee faced off. KIA pounded out eight hits to score six runs and put together a big inning (four or more runs in one inning) to take the win.
Lotte remained in third place, one game behind the second-place LG Twins, who lost their third straight game to the NC Dinos 3-1.