The professional baseball LG Twins defeated the KIA Tigers. In the bottom of the 9th inning, Moon Bo-kyung saved the victory by making two remarkable defensive plays.
On the 25th, LG won 6-5 against KIA in a back-and-forth battle held at Gwangju KIA Champions Field. LG, in first place, recorded 20 wins and 7 losses, being the first to reach 20 wins.
It was a thrilling match. KIA scored the first run in the 2nd inning with Han Jun-su's double and Choi Won-jun's timely hit after two outs. LG reversed the score to 3-1 in the 3rd inning after two outs with Kim Hyun-soo's double, Austin's walk, Moon Bo-kyung's double (2 RBIs), and Park Dong-won’s timely hit (1 RBI).
KIA created a bases-loaded opportunity in the bottom of the 4th inning with Lee Woo-sung's walk, Han Jun-su's hit, and Byun Woo-hyuk's hit. Returning MVP Kim Do-young came off the bench and tied the game with a 2-RBI timely hit. Later, with two outs and the bases loaded, Choi Hyung-woo hit a 2-RBI double to push the score to 5-3.
LG's resilience shone through. In the 6th inning, with Austin's walk, Moon Bo-kyung's hit, and Park Dong-won's walk, they created a bases-loaded opportunity and knocked out starter Yang Hyun-jong. Hong Chang-ki's sacrifice fly (1 RBI) and a timely hit from pinch hitter Moon Sung-joo (1 RBI) tied the game again at 5-5.
In the top of the 8th inning, with two outs and a runner on first base, Oh Ji-hwan drew a walk, advancing the runner into scoring position. An error on a throw by second baseman Kim Sun-bin, who fielded a grounder from Shin Min-jae towards second base, allowed Hong Chang-ki to score from second base, giving LG a 6-5 lead.
KIA's attack in the bottom of the 9th inning. After one out, Kim Tae-kyun hit a bullet-like grounder down the third base line. Third baseman Moon Bo-kyung attempted a diving catch on the hard-hit ball that bounced in front of him behind third base; the ball grazed his glove and rolled slightly into foul territory. It became an infield single. Had the ball slipped past Moon Bo-kyung, even the slow-footed Kim Tae-kyun could have reached second base. Stopping it as an infield single was an excellent defensive play.
Following that, with one out and a runner on first, Byun Woo-hyuk's hit also bounced just in front of Moon Bo-kyung. Moon Bo-kyung was too quick to extend his glove, and he blocked the ball with his body. He quickly retrieved the ball that bounced off his abdomen and threw to second base to get the out.
Thanks to two outstanding defensive plays, there were two outs with a runner on first base. Without those defensive plays, it could have been tied. With two outs and a runner on first base, closer Jang Hyun-sik recorded the final out with a ground ball to the shortstop. Jang Hyun-sik secured his fourth save of the season against his former team.
On this day, Moon Bo-kyung performed as the cleanup hitter, achieving 2 hits and 2 RBIs in 5 at-bats, contributing to the victory with two crucial defensive plays that did not allow a tie in the bottom of the 9th inning.
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