Kia Tigers achieved a dramatic comeback victory.
On the 17th, Kia won 5-4 against the KT Wiz in the 2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field. After trailing 0-3, they fought back to tie the game at 3-3, lost the lead again, but ultimately secured a walk-off win in the bottom of the 9th inning. With this victory, they succeeded in the winning series, recording 9 wins and 11 losses for the season.
Trailing 3-4 in the bottom of the 9th, Kia's pinch hitter Lee Woo-sung reached base with a single. Choi Won-jun grounded out to second, but Park Chan-ho hit a blooper to second base, creating a 1 out, 1st and 3rd opportunity. Next batter Hong Jong-pyo drew a walk, loading the bases with one out. Then, Na Sung-beom hit a walk-off double that drifted past the right fielder, sealing the victory.
As Kia starter Yang Hyun-jong's pitching deteriorated, KT took the lead from the early innings. KT managed to create scoring opportunities each inning. In the top of the 2nd, Jang Sung-woo drew a walk, and Hwang Jae-kyun hit a two-run homer to take a 2-0 lead. In the 3rd, after two outs, Kim Min-hyuk had a single and stole a base, and Kang Baek-ho added a run with a clutch hit.
In the subsequent 2nd and 3rd innings, Hwang Jae-kyun was out on a ground ball, failing to capitalize on the opportunity. In the 4th, Jang Jun-won hit a single to right, and after one out, Kim Sang-soo hit a double next to the left fielder, creating a prime opportunity on 2nd and 3rd base. However, Rojas struck out, and Heo Kyung-min popped up to second. There were no scoring hits in the 6th with one out and a runner on second.
Kia, struggling with scoring, had consecutive double plays in the 1st and 2nd innings, making their momentum heavy. In the 3rd, however, the 8th batter Han Seung-taek and the 9th batter Choi Won-jun had consecutive hits connecting to the top of the lineup, but all three batters in the 1-3 spots were out on ground balls or strikeouts. They were caught by the two-seam pitch combination of KT starter William Cuevas and catcher Jung Sung-woo.
Since the 8th inning of the game on the 15th, there had been a 15-inning streak without scoring. They broke the drought in the 5th inning. Byun Woo-hyuk hit a single, and Han Seung-taek followed with a double to center field. There was an error recorded as a non-error due to the opponent's center fielder's misplay. Kia scored one run with Choi Won-jun's infield grounder and added another with Park Chan-ho's double to left to tie the game at 3-3 with Wisdom's solo home run in the bottom of the 6th, marking his 8th of the season.
Cuevas gave up 9 hits and 2 walks over 6 innings but demonstrated skill by holding the opposition to 3 runs, yet he did not secure the victory. He was satisfied with his 4th quality start of the season. Yang Hyun-jong pitched 5⅓ innings, allowing 8 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs. Failing to capture his firstvictory after 5 games since the opening, he remained at 179 career wins.
The game turned in the top of the 8th inning. Kia's Jeon Sang-hyun came in and Jang Sung-woo attacked with a single to left. During the subsequent sacrifice bunting attempt by Oh Yoon-seok, Jeon Sang-hyun made a bad throw to second base. Jang Sung-woo was out at third, but the batter advanced to second, effectively making for a successful bunt. Jang Jun-won created 1st and 3rd base with a hit that went past the third baseman, and they scored a run with Yoo Jun-kyu's infield grounder.
KT's bullpen was stronger. Son Dong-hyun, who pitched in the 7th, held the opponents to 1 hit without a run over 2 innings. However, closer Park Young-hyun collapsed in the 9th. KT's lineup recorded 11 hits and 3 walks for 4 runs, while Kia managed just 3 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks. Kia brought in closer Jung Hae-young in the 9th, and his scoreless innings led to the comeback.
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