The professional baseball team KT Wiz secured its second consecutive victory by defeating the Samsung Lions.
On the 13th, KT won 6-4 in a home game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park, led by the strong performance of starting pitcher So Hyung-jun and the batters' concentration. Starting pitcher So Hyung-jun celebrated his first win of the season. In contrast, Samsung’s Denny Reyes faced a tough challenge against the KT lineup.
KT, with rookie of the year So Hyung-jun as the starting pitcher, structured its lineup with right fielder Mel Rojas Jr., third baseman Heo Kyung-min, designated hitter Kang Baek-ho, left fielder Kim Min-hyuk, catcher Jang Seong-woo, center fielder Bae Jeong-dae, first baseman Hwang Jae-kyun, shortstop Jang Jun-won, and second baseman Kim Sang-su.
In response, Samsung lined up with shortstop Lee Jae-hyeon, second baseman Ryu Ji-hyuk, left fielder Koo Ja-wook, catcher Kang Min-ho, first baseman Lewin Diaz, third baseman Kim Young-woong, designated hitter Park Byung-ho, right fielder Yoon Jeong-bin, and center fielder Kim Seong-yun. Foreign pitcher Denny Reyes took the mound as the starter.
In the first inning, Samsung got a chance with Lee Jae-hyeon's walk and Ryu Ji-hyuk's hit, putting runners on first and second with no outs. KT’s starting pitcher So Hyung-jun, fielding a bunt hit by Koo Ja-wook, made a throwing error to first base, allowing the lead runner Lee Jae-hyeon to score. 1-0.
KT launched a counterattack, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first with consecutive RBIs from Jang Seong-woo and Bae Jeong-dae, successfully turning the game around to 2-1. After one out in the second inning, Mel Rojas Jr. and Heo Kyung-min hit back-to-back singles, followed by Kang Baek-ho's RBI single, adding another run. Continuing with runners on first and third, Kim Min-hyuk contributed a single to right, along with Jang Seong-woo's sacrifice fly to left, widening the score to 5-1.
KT added another run in the fifth as Jang Jun-won's double came with two outs and a runner on second base. However, Samsung did not go down easily. In the seventh, combining a walk and a hit, they created another opportunity with no outs on first and second base, and Koo Ja-wook's double along with an error by the opponent led to three runs to narrow the gap. In the eighth, Yoon Jeong-bin hit a double to right and Kim Seong-yun followed with a triple to left-center, bringing the game close, trailing by one run. KT then brought in closer Park Young-hyun in the ninth to hold on to a one-run victory.
KT's starting pitcher So Hyung-jun wrapped up his debut victory with a line of 5 innings, allowing 5 hits, 4 walks, and yielding 1 earned run while striking out 5 batters. Mel Rojas Jr. and Bae Jeong-dae finished the game with 3 hits each.
On the other hand, Samsung's starting pitcher Denny Reyes struggled, going 2 innings and giving up 7 hits, 2 walks, and allowing 5 earned runs. This marked his first loss of the season. Left-handed Lee Seung-min, who came in as the third pitcher after Reyes and Yang Chang-seob, showcased a solid performance with 3⅔ innings of scoreless pitching. Ryu Ji-hyuk recorded the most hits among the team with 3 hits in 5 at-bats, while Yoon Jeong-bin and Kim Seong-yun achieved multi-hit games.
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