The momentum of the tiger corps is unusual. In the late heat, Pajuk is on an 8-game winning streak, igniting its will for fall baseball.
KIA won 8 to 6 against SSG in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 3rd. They achieved a thrilling comeback victory by defeating Seo Jin-yong, the best closer in the 8th inning, who ranked first in saves (34).메이저사이트
This is their 8th consecutive win since the KT match on the 24th of last month. KIA’s 8 consecutive wins have been over 2 years since July 1, 2021, to August 13, 2021. At that time, the league was suspended due to COVID-19 and continued until the Tokyo Olympics break, so it took more than a month to achieve 8 consecutive wins (1 draw).
With this victory, KIA rose to 4th place in about 4 months since May 9th. KIA, with 56 wins, 50 losses, and 2 draws, pushed NC (57 wins, 51 losses, 2 draws), which lost 1 to 6 to Samsung on this day, to 5th place, 0.0005 ahead of the winning percentage.
The game on this day was like a microcosm of KIA’s recent unstoppable momentum. In a game where defeat was likely, he achieved a come-from-behind victory against the current best finisher.
It was a fierce battle until the early to mid-game. KIA took the lead in the first inning thanks to Choi Hyeong-woo’s two RBI and timely hit, but SSG Choo Shin-soo’s lead hitter home run in the bottom of the first inning gave them one run. KIA widened the gap in the top of the second inning with Dae-in Hwang’s two-run home run, but SSG immediately tied the score at 4 to 4 with Hyeong-woo Cho’s three-run shot in the bottom of the second inning. When KIA took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 5th inning with Park Chan-ho’s double followed by Kim Do-young’s timely hit to right, SSG achieved a 6-5 lead with Choi Jeong’s 2-run home run in the bottom of the 5th inning.
The 8th inning was the biggest match. KIA provided the clue to the comeback with Kim Sun-bin’s hit to right-center field with one out. Accordingly, SSG made a winning move by bringing in closer Seo Jin-yong early.
However, Seo Jin-yong could not stop KIA’s backlash. KIA tied the game again with Hwang Dae-in’s left-handed hit and catcher Kim Tae-gun’s timely hit to the middle. Next, pinch hitter Ko Jong-wook exquisitely pushed Seo Jin-yong’s outside ball to create a timely hit to take the lead 7 to 6. KIA gained momentum when Kim Do-young hit a 1-run home run in the top of the 9th inning.
KIA Tigers Kim Do-young is roaring after hitting a solo shot in the 9th inning in a game against SSG Landers held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 3rd. KIA Tigers
KIA recorded the highest weekly winning percentage with 4 wins last week alone, beating Kiwoom (4 wins, 1 loss) among the 10 clubs. After losing once the previous week, they went on to win 8 games in a row, including 4 in a row.
KIA’s bat was especially hot last week. The weekly team batting average was a whopping .355, and the team OPS (slugging percentage + on-base percentage) was 1.024. The team had 9 home runs, ranking first in all three categories.
Na Seong-beom, Park Chan-ho, and Kim Sun-bin all showed off strong hitting with a weekly batting average of .4112 li (7 hits in 17 at-bats). Na Seong-beom had 3 home runs, 9 RBIs, and 7 runs, and Park Chan-ho had 1 home run, 5 RBIs, and 4 runs. Kim Do-young also scored a whopping 11 runs with a batting average of .400 (6 hits in 15 at-bats), 1 home run, and 4 RBIs.
KIA starting pitcher Yang Hyun-jong fights during a professional baseball game between the KIA Tigers and SSG Landers held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 1st. On this day, Yang Hyun-jong gave up only 2 hits and 1 walk over 7 innings, setting a new record for the most wins as a starter (164 wins) in professional baseball. KIA Tigers
KIA’s weekly team earned run average (ERA) was also stable at 3.25. Yang Hyun-jong set the record for the most career wins as a starter (164 wins) with 7 scoreless innings against SSG on the 1st. Im Ki-young supported the middle with 2 holds.
Meanwhile, KIA also caught up with SSG in third place by 1.5 games. SSG, who lost 4 games in a row even after bringing in closer Seo Jin-yong early, has 60 wins, 51 losses, and 1 draw, making it difficult to guarantee 3rd place.
An army of tigers with their claws sharpened as the chilly autumn wind begins to blow. It remains to be seen how far KIA’s unstoppable momentum will continue.