SSG struggled to escape from a 5-game losing streak. The video review split the joys and sorrows.
SSG won 2-1 against LG in the 2023 KBO League held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 20th. SSG lost to LG two days in a row on the 18th and 19th, and with the victory on this day, it avoided a sweep loss and escaped the last 5 consecutive losses.안전놀이터
Elias threw 104 pitches in 8 innings, 4 hits (1 home run), 1 strikeout, 1 run, and became the winning pitcher with quality start plus pitching. Season 6 win. Finisher Seo Jin-yong recorded 32 saves for the season, defending the victory by one point in the ninth inning.
LG starter Plutko recorded 6 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, 7 strikeouts and 1 run in 6 innings. He withdrew without a win or loss. Kim Hyun-soo recorded 2200 hits in his personal career, and LG recorded 30,000 strikeouts. 5th all-time record.
LG recorded 64 wins, 2 draws and 38 losses, and SSG became 56 wins, 1 draw and 46 losses.
LG SSG, starting lineup…SSG Lee Jae-won 2nd Army
Hong Chang-ki (right fielder) Shin Min-jae (2nd baseman) Kim Hyun-soo (designated hitter) Austin (1st baseman) Moon Bo-kyung (3rd baseman) Moon Seong-joo (left fielder) Kim Min-seong (shortstop) Heo Do-hwan (catcher) Park Hae-min (center fielder) started the starting lineup.
Starting catcher Park Dong-won and starting shortstop Oh Ji-hwan were excluded due to minor injuries. Park Dong-won was replaced due to left wrist pain after the 3rd inning of the game the previous day. Oh Ji-hwan is recovering from muscle pain in the front of his thigh. Oh Ji-hwan came out as a pinch hitter in the 8th inning of the previous day (19th) and recorded 2 hits in 2 at-bats and played 2 innings as a shortstop. Coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop said before the game, “Park Dong-won can rest, and Oh Ji-hwan can play two innings as a substitute in the second half of the game.”
SSG changed the first team entry that day. Catcher Lee Jae-won was left out of the 1st team entry, and catcher Lee Heung-ryeon was promoted from the 2nd team. Lee Jae-won was called up to the 1st team on the 18th, but he went down to the 2nd team again after playing 2 games and recording no hits in 4 at-bats. He is batting 7 pennies (3-for-43) all season. Manager Kim Won-hyung said, “The hit was so bad…”. Main catcher Kim Min-sik went down to the 2nd team on the 18th, and for the time being Cho Hyeong-woo and Lee Heung-ryun will have to run the catchers.
For SSG, Choo Shin-soo (designated hitter) Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder) Choi Jeong (3rd baseman) Choi Joo-hwan (2nd baseman) Park Seong-han (shortstop) Kang Jin-seong (left fielder) Hanyu-seom (right fielder) Jeon Eui-san (1st baseman) Cho Hyung-woo (catcher) started.
Plutko, the LG starter, finished with a three-way offense with four balls in the first inning. In the second episode, after two deaths, Kang Jin-seong got a left-handed hit, but Hanyu-seom struck out.
In the 3rd inning, he was hit by lead batter Jeon Eui-san, and with a sacrifice bunt, he became 1 out and 2 base. Choo Shin-soo picked a walk and got first and second bases. Choi Ji-hoon struck out with a fly ball to second baseman, and Choi Jeong-eun struck out on a swing and failed to save a chance.
SSG scored the first run with a home run by Park Seong-han after one out in the 4th inning. In the full count, the 7th fastball (145km) was driven into the middle, and Park Seong-han hit it without missing it and fired a solo home run that went over the right fence. Season 7 home run.
SSG couldn’t save a good chance in the 5th inning. Leading batter Cho Hyeong-woo went on base with a heavy hit, and Choo Shin-soo attempted a surprise bunt toward third base on the first pitch. The ball rolled along the line at third base, and the third baseman caught it and threw it to first base, but it was safe.
In the 1st and 2nd bases, Choi Ji-hoon had a bunt operation. Bunt in front of the pitcher and made 1 out 2nd and 3rd base. Choi Jeong-eun walked to first base with an automatic intentional 4th ball from 3 balls. Choi Joo-hwan hit a floating ball in right field with the bases loaded with the first out. Third base runner Cho Hyung-woo tagged up home, and right fielder Hong Chang-ki threw home and was tagged out.
Heo Do-hwan couldn’t tag at first, but Cho Hyung-woo also passed the home base to avoid the tag. Heo Do-hwan tried to tag again and was out. SSG failed to score running away with a double out.
LG’s other line had only 2 hits against SSG starter Elias until the 5th inning. After two outs in the first inning, Kim Hyun-soo went on base with a heavy hit. Kim Hyun-soo achieved 2200 hits in his personal career with this hit. 6th record in KBO league history. Afterwards, Austin hit a foul home run off the left pole and was out with a floating ball in left field.
The 2nd and 3rd times are three-way offense. In the 4th inning, lead batter Shin Min-jae went on base with a surprise bunt hit, but Kim Hyun-soo hit a shortstop grounder and the runner disappeared. The 5th episode also ended with a tripartite withdrawal.
In the top of the 6th inning for LG, Heo Do-Hwan, who came out as the lead hitter, hit a solo home run that went over the left wall against Elias. Season 1 home run. It was the first home run in 451 days since the match against Kiwoom on May 26 last year. In one ball, he hit a fastball (148km) to tie the score 1-1.
In LG, Baek Seung-hyun took the mound as the second pitcher following Plutko in the 7th inning. Cho Hyung-woo struck out, and Choo Shin-soo’s straight hit was caught by second baseman Shin Min-jae with a jump catch. Choi Ji-hoon went on base with a walk, and Choi Jeong’s batted ball was caught in front of the right-middle fence.
In LG, Park Myung-geun came up as the third pitcher in the 8th inning. Left fielder Moon Seong-joo caught Choi Joo-hwan’s double hit with a jump catch in front of the fence. Park Seong-han was also out with a fly ball to left fielder. After two outs, Kang Jin-seong went on base with a left-handed hit, and Hanyu-seom hit a heavy hit on a full count to create a chance for 1st and 3rd base.
When it came to a crisis, LG put Ko Woo-seok as an early finisher. Eui-san Jeon went on base with a ball that hit the body on the 5th pitch with 2 balls and 2 strikes. Go Woo-seok’s curve hit Jeon Eui-san’s left foot.
SSG hired Kim Kang-min as a pinch hitter with the second base loaded. The 155km fastball strike in the first pitch and the 154km fastball in the second pitch turned out to be opposite pitches flying towards the body unlike the outside sign, so the catcher could not catch them. A wild throw that fell back, SSG took a 2-1 lead with a runner on third base scoring.
Elias, who threw 93 pitches through the 7th inning, also got on the mound in the 8th inning. The first batter, Kim Min-seong, was grounded out by third baseman, and Huh Do-hwan, who allowed a home run in the previous at-bat, was out counted by catcher grounder. Park Hae-min finished with a tripartite offense with a ground ball to the first baseman on the 104th pitch.
Elias showed quality start plus pitching with 4 hits (1 home run), 1 strikeout and 1 run over 8 innings.
When SSG took the lead in the bottom of the 8th inning, Seo Jin-yong, the closer in the top of the 9th, took the mound. Hong Chang-ki, the first batter, was dismissed with a floating ball to left field, and Shin Min-jae went on base with a left-handed hit. Shin Min-jae succeeded in stealing second base on the third pitch in Kim Hyun-soo’s at-bat. With 1 out and 2 base, Kim Hyun-soo struck out on the 8th pitch from a full count. In Austin’s at-bat, the 4th pitch became a one-bound wild throw, and the runner on second base advanced to third base.
Austin’s batted ball rolled to the third base line, and third baseman Choi Jeong threw a running throw to first base, but it became an infield hit and the score was tied 2-2. However, SSG applied for a video review, and the centrifugal was overturned with an out because the ball was faster than Austin’s foot due to a narrow gap. The match ended 2-1.
After the match, SSG coach Kim Won-hyeong praised Elias, “Today, Elias showed the best pitching. It would have been a burden in the team’s losing streak, but he prevented long innings with minimal runs through aggressive pitching.”
“The fielders also liked the process of making the winning run in the 8th inning, and I especially want to praise (Choi) Jung-i’s last defense concentration. The long losing streak must have been mentally difficult for all players, but they overcame it well. It was a hard week,” he said.