The Samsung Lions tied the game three times before pulling off a dramatic comeback.
Samsung came from behind to win 6-4 against the Doosan Bears in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on Monday. Last-place Samsung snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 40 wins (56 losses, 1 draw) on the season and snap a five-game losing streak against Doosan. Fifth-place Doosan improved to 48 wins, 45 losses and one draw.
Samsung started Kim Hyun-jun (center field), Kim Sung-yoon (left field), Koo Ja-uk (right field), Kang Min-ho (catcher), Ryu Ji-hyuk (third base), Jose Pirela (designated hitter), Oh Jae-il (first base), Lee Jae-hyun (shortstop), and Kim Dong-jin (second base). The starting pitcher was Won Tae-in.
Doosan started Jung Soo-bin (center field), Kim Jae-ho (shortstop), Jose Rojas (left field), Yang Seok-hwan (first base), Kim In-tae (right field), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Heo Kyung-min (third base), Jang Seung-hyun (catcher), and Lee Yoo-chan (second base). The starting pitcher was ace Raul Alcantara.
Samsung starter Won Tae-in went six innings, 100 pitches, five hits (two home runs), two walks, four strikeouts, and three runs. In the seventh inning, Woo Kyu-min (1 inning), Lee Jae-ik (⅔ inning), Kim Tae-hoon (⅓ inning), and Oh Seung-hwan (1 inning) pitched consecutive scoreless innings to preserve the win. Tae-hoon Kim got the win and Seung-hwan Oh the save.
The offense boasted the No. 1 batting average in August. Samsung led the league with a .325 team batting average in the eighth inning prior to this game. Their OPS was 0.827, second only to the KIA Tigers (0.866). Even if they were in last place, the bats were hot. Third baseman Koo Ja-rook went 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI, while Jose Pirela, batting sixth, went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.
Doosan would score and Samsung would chase. After Won Tae-in gave up a right-handed home run to Jose Rojas in the bottom of the fourth inning to fall behind 0-1, Jose Pirela responded with a left-handed home run in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 1-1.
The home run race continued for both teams. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Kim Jae-hwan hit a home run to right to make it 1-2, and in the top of the sixth inning, Gu Ja-rook stole a home run to right to make it 2-2.
Won Tae-in seemed to take the loss as he gave up another run in the bottom of the sixth. After giving up a leadoff single to Jung Soo-bin and getting Rojas to ground into an automatic double play with runners on first and second, Won chose to face Yang Seok-hwan, but Yang gave up a single up the middle to give up the 2-3 lead again.
The Samsung bats refused to give up, as they scored two more runs off Doosan ace Raul Alcantara, and took down Doosan’s vaunted pitching staff one by one. In the top of the eighth inning, they pounded Kim Myung-shin. One out later, Kim Dong-jin led off with a double, and two batters later, Kim tied the game at 3-3 with a single to left.
Doosan missed a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. Jung Soo-bin singled and Kim Jae-ho laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on first and second, and Rojas grounded out to the second baseman to put runners on second and third. 스포츠토토 After getting Yang Seok-hwan to ground into an automatic double play, Lee Jae-ik switched to Kim Tae-hoon on the mound, who struck out Kim In-tae with runners on second and third to set the stage for the comeback win.