Lee Joo-hyung’s triple and Lim Byung-wook’s three-run homer put the game out of reach, and the bullpen secured the win. The harmony of the two hitters paved the way for the winning streak. Kiwoom also applauded the players for their performance.
Kiwoom won 6-2 on the first day of a three-game weekend series against KT of the 2023 KBO League at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. With the two wins, Kiwoom improved to 49-37 on the season, one game ahead of 10th-place Hanwha (42-61) and out of the bottom of the league. Hanwha dropped to the bottom of the table with a 0-10 loss to Jamsil LG.
After the game, Kiwoom head coach Hong Won-ki said, “On offense, Lee Joo-hyung’s triple set the tone early, and Lim Byung-wook’s three-run homer drove in the winning run,” adding, “The pitching staff did a good job again today. They did a great job of shutting down the opposing bats and never letting the game get out of hand, which led to the victory.”
On the day, Kiwoom scored early to take control of the game. Lee Ju-hyung opened the scoring with a triple, and Lim Byung-wook followed with a three-run blast. Kiwoom got on the board in the bottom of the first when Kim Tae-jin led off with a single to right. Kim Hye-sung and foreign hitter Ronnie Dawson drew back-to-back walks to load the bases, but that was just the beginning of Kiwoom’s offense. Song Sung-moon singled to put runners on first and second, and in the next at-bat, Lee Joo-hyung hit a two-run triple to right-center to load the bases for a 2-0 lead.
Kiwoom put together a four-run inning in the bottom of the third. One out later, Song Sung-moon led off with a single to left and Lee Ju-hyung followed with a double to put runners on first and third. The next batter, Kim Hwijip, hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Song Sung-moon. In the next at-bat, Lee Hyung-jong drew a walk to put runners on second and third, and Lim Byung-wook took a five-pitch, 115-kilometer changeup from KT starter Ko Young-pyo for a three-run home run over the right field fence to make it 6-0.
After scoring the game-winning run, Lee Ju-hyung went 3-for-4 on the day. “The other guys put us in scoring position in the bottom of the first inning, so it was nice to be able to take care of business in a critical situation for the team, and I’m most happy that it led to the win,” Lee said after the game.
He added, “I’m a left-handed hitter, so I can hit under-pitches better. Also, (Kim) Jae-woong told me how to play against senior Ko Young-pyo,” he said, adding, “He told me to hit the ball when it’s in front of me, and luckily it was, and it worked out well.”
Kiwoom’s pitching staff also contributed to the victory by shutting down KT’s bats. In addition, starting pitcher Jang Jae-young only allowed one earned run despite giving up nine hits, thanks in part to the batters’ favor. Although Jang was 0.1 innings shy of the win, he pitched 4.2 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on nine hits with four strikeouts.스포츠토토
Yoon Seok-won took over the mound and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, followed by Park Seung-joo, who gave up one run on a wild pitch and a fielding error. Moon Sung-hyun followed with a scoreless inning of relief before Kim Jae-woong took the mound in the ninth to seal the win.