'I kept third place.' 'Jun PO Magic Number 1'. Megatwinspo LG won 9-5. Doosan is now in fourth place, too.
Sep 22, 2024
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The third-ranked LG won a 9-5 victory at home against the fourth-ranked Doosan Bears in Jamsil on the 22nd. With the victory, LG, which widened its game gap with Doosan to three, occupied an advantageous position to confirm the third place if the fourth-ranked Doosan, fifth-ranked SSG Landers, and sixth-ranked KT Wiz win all the remaining games.
Doosan lost on the day, beating KT, and was trailing SSG, which ranked fifth with six consecutive wins, by one game, jeopardizing its fourth place. The two will face off in Jamsil on the 23rd.
LG's starting lineup was composed of Hong Chang-ki (right wing), Shin Min-jae (second baseman), Austin (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Moon Sung-joo (designated hitter), Oh Ji-hwan (striker), Kim Hyun-soo (left wing), Park Dong-won (catcher), and Park Hae-min (middle fielder).
Doosan made Jung Soo-bin (center fielder), Lee Yoo-chan (third baseman), Jarrod (left fielder), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Kang Seung-ho (second baseman), Jeon Min-jae (striker), Kim Ki-yeon (possession) and Jo Soo-haeng (right fielder). Heo Kyung-min, who received a head shot in the first game of the doubleheader the previous day, was still dizzy and could not play, and Yang Eui-ji also had pain in his collarbone while swinging in the second game, making it difficult to play on the day. Kim Jae-ho also played in both the first and second games, and was excluded from the starting lineup for physical fitness management.
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LG's pace in the beginning. In the bottom of the first inning, LG scored the first run with Hong Chang-ki's hit and Shin Min-jae's hit ball with Austin's double to left. With runners on the second and third bases with no outs, Moon Bo-kyung hit Balazovic's first slider and hit a three-run shot over the right fence, making it 4-0.
In the bottom of the second inning, following Park Hae-min's left-handed hit, Hong Chang-ki's left-field double, Park Hae-min came home and added one more run, and pitcher Balazovic scored an additional point and widened to 6-0 when Austin hit a ground ball in front of the pitcher with one out and third base.
At this point, it seemed that LG could win with ease, but Doosan's will to win third place was great. Doosan, which scored two runs with Jared's double to the right on consecutive hits by Jung Soo-bin and Lee Yoo-chan in the top of the third inning, kicked a low fastball of 153 kilometers on the first pitch of Ence and hit a two-run shot over the right fence to make it 4-6, two-run difference.
LG also responded with a home run in the bottom of the third inning. After two outs, Park Hae-min hit a hit to the right, and Doosan right fielder Cho Soo-haeng tried to make a diving catch to catch it directly, but the ball fell right in front of him and fell back. Park Hae-min sprinted all the way around the third base and ran home, and hit home a little faster than the catcher's tag. It became a ground home run and 7-4. Park Hae-min, who has fast feet, was the first ground home run in his life.
Doosan also became a bad pitch when Ence threw it to first base during Cho's surprise bunt after one out in the top of the fourth inning, and Cho ran to third base to get a chance. And Jung Soo-bin scored with a sacrifice fly to center field, trailing 5-7, again by two points.
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By the sixth inning, Ence had 108 pitches, allowing eight hits (one homer), no four outs, three strikeouts, and five runs (four earned), and came down from a 7-5 lead and became a winning pitcher to tie for third with 13 wins.
Balazovic also tried to finish by the end of the sixth inning, but he couldn't finish it. After two outs, Shin Min-jae hit a left double and replaced it with the final man. He became a losing pitcher with nine hits (two home runs) and one walk, four strikeouts, and seven runs in five ⅔ innings.
LG scored a much-anticipated extra point in the bottom of the seventh inning. As the first-runner Moon Sung-joo hit an infield hit, he replaced the runner Choi Seung-min. However, Oh Ji-hwan's sacrifice bunt was high and caught as a catcher's fly, and Kim Hyun-soo stepped down with a fly to right field and became two outs. However, Park Dong-won hit a double that hit the fence in the middle, and Choi Seung-min homered to make it 8-5. In the bottom of the ninth inning, pinch hitter Lee Young-bin hit a sacrifice fly to center field with two walks and an infield hit, widening the gap to 9-5, 4 points. .
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LG scored nine runs by concentrating 12 hits, including two homers. Moon Bo-kyung had three hits and three RBIs in four at-bats, including a three-run home run. He made a clear impression as LG's new No. 4 hitter with 20 home runs this season. Austin had 129 RBIs with one hit and two RBIs in three times at bat, leaving only one RBI for the 12th 130th time ever.
Doosan struggled hard with Jarrod's 2 hits and 2 RBIs in 4 at-bats and Kim Jae-hwan 1 hit and 2 RBIs in 3 at-bats, but the lack of Huh Kyung-min and Yang Eui-ji in the batting match was inevitable. The biggest cause of defeat was that starting player Balazovic was dragged from the beginning, giving up six points in the first and second innings.
indyk@sportschosun.com
