The LG Twins have won 5 games in a row and are close to winning the regular season championship.
In the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ game against the KIA Tigers held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 19th, LG won 4-3 thanks to starter Lee Ji-gang’s scoreless pitch, Moon Bo-kyung’s consecutive home runs, and Go Woo-seok’s 2-inning save. LG increased its winning streak to 5. On the other hand, KIA continued its downward trend, falling into 6 consecutive losses.안전놀이터
It was a match between KIA starter Yang Hyun-jong and LG starter Ji-gang Lee. Yang Hyun-jong took the mound with a determined expression on his face to help the team escape their losing streak. Lee Ji-gang took the mound as Choi Won-tae’s replacement starter. Yang Hyun-jong’s advantage was predicted, but the baseball was round. LG targeted Yang Hyun-jong with Moon Bo-kyung’s home run.
With one out in the bottom of the first inning, KIA had hits from Na Seong-beom and Choi Hyeong-woo, but Kim Sun-bin was unable to score a run. LG scored the first run in the top of the second inning with two outs. Moon Bo-kyung did not miss Yang Hyun-jong’s fastball in the middle and launched a superior solo shot. It was a miss by Yang Hyun-jong, who blocked 5 consecutive batters with a perfect pitch.
LG took the win in the 4th inning with another shot from Moon Bo-kyung. With one out and one on first base, Austin hit a heavy hit and got a chance to reach first and second base. It seemed like the opportunity was wasted as Oh Ji-hwan’s ground ball to first base resulted in a force out at second base. Shortstop Kim Gyu-seong, who received a throw from first base, gave up on a double play throw, which was not refreshing. Moon Bo-kyung, who came to the plate, hit a three-run shot to right-center when Yang Hyeon-jong’s second pitch came into the center with a stray pitch. They immediately went up 4-0.
KIA also had two outs in the third inning, with Kim Do-young walking and Na Seong-beom hitting to right, but Choi Hyeong-woo retired with a hit. There were hardly any timely hits in the scoring position. With one out in the bottom of the 6th inning, Choi Hyung-woo hit his 17th dominant solo shot of the season to chase down a run. However, in the bottom of the 7th inning with 1 out and runners on second base, Kim Tae-gun’s double followed by Ko Jong-wook’s straight hit resulted in a double out.
LG missed the opportunity to run away in the 8th inning. A walk by Hong Chang-ki and a hit by Kim Hyun-soo and a stolen base gave them a chance to get runners on second and third base with one out, but Austin struck out, and with the bases loaded, Moon Bo-kyung struck out. At that moment, the flow began to change strangely. KIA, who had overcome a major crisis with Jeon Sang-hyun, had a chance to catch up in the 8th inning.
When leadoff hitter Choi Won-jun hit a single to left, Kim Do-young responded with a double to right-center. Then, Na Seong-beom hit a timely hit with 2 RBIs that passed the height of the second baseman, bringing the score to 3-4. LG made a strong move by putting closing pitcher Go Woo-seok on the mound. A wild pitch came out and Na Seong-beom stepped on second base. However, Choi Hyeong-woo struck out, Kim Sun-bin and Socrates retreated with a hit, and the chase lost momentum. In the bottom of the 9th inning, with one out and runners on 1st and 3rd base, Kim Do-young’s double play came out and he fell to his knees.
Go Woo-seok maintained the one-run victory with a scoreless pitch until the 9th inning. LG starting pitcher Lee Ji-gang pitched 5 innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, and no runs, and earned a valuable win. He experienced the joy of receiving his first win as a starter five years after his debut. Kim Jin-seong allowed 1 run, but Baek Seung-hyun held the 7th inning scoreless. Choi Dong-hwan was shaken and gave up two runs. In the batting lineup, Moon Bo-kyung was the main contributor to the victory. KIA Yang Hyun-jong pitched 7 innings and suffered a loss, allowing 5 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 4 runs. He pitched well, but it was painful to be hit by a solo shot and a three-run shot by Moon Bo-kyung. Yang Hyun-jong made his 378th start on this day, setting a KBO record. Dae-yu Kim took the mound in the 8th inning, creating a crisis with one out and 2nd and 3rd bases, but Jeon Sang-hyun put out the fire. The batting line was unable to revive the last attack in the 9th inning, so they were unable to break the losing streak.