The professional baseball team Doosan Bears defeated the LG Twins, successfully achieving a winning series.
Doosan secured a come-from-behind victory of 5-2 in the game against LG held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 7th. As a result, Doosan recorded 4 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses in the 9-game series.
Doosan starting pitcher Jack Log pitched 7 innings (96 pitches) with 5 hits allowed, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs, earning the win. In the batting lineup, Kang Seung-ho contributed significantly with 2 doubles, recording a total of 3 RBIs. He had 2 hits in 4 at-bats.
Doosan, trailing 0-2, had a chance to advance when lead-off hitter Yang Seok-hwan walked and Oh Myung-jin hit an infield single to second base, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Kang Seung-ho hit a 1-RBI double over the center fielder, reducing the deficit. However, in the continued opportunity with no outs and runners on second and third, Doosan was unable to capitalize on LG's bullpen pitcher Kim Jin-seong and failed to tie the game.
In the sixth inning, Doosan had a no-outs bases loaded situation against LG's bullpen pitcher Park Myung-geun with consecutive hits from Cave and Yang Eui-ji, plus a walk by Kim Jae-hwan. Yang Seok-hwan hit an infield single to tie the game at 2-2. Oh Myung-jin selected a walk that pushed in a run against relief pitcher Kim Kang-ryul, making it 3-2 and turning the game around. Kang Seung-ho then hit a 2-RBI double that left the first base line, extending the lead to 5-2. This score became the decisive point.
Manager Lee Seung-yeop noted after the game, "Starting pitcher Jack Log took responsibility for 7 innings with his characteristic aggressive pitching. It was an excellent performance as he fulfilled his role sufficiently. The batting lineup showed focus by scoring 4 runs in the sixth inning while trailing by 1 run, thus gaining momentum. The contributions from Kang Seung-ho, who hit 2 valuable doubles, were particularly crucial. I also want to praise Oh Myung-jin's role, who had a game with 3 on-base appearances."
Doosan finished the 9-game series with 4 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses. Kang Seung-ho said, "Actually, it may not have met our expectations, but we did a bit better than we could have." He further explained, "We were weak against Samsung last year and also against LG, so while I am not fully satisfied with our performance against those teams, I think we did reasonably well."
In the 9-game series, Doosan achieved decent results against strong teams like KT, Samsung, and LG. Currently, Doosan is in 9th place (16 wins, 1 draw, 20 losses), but they are not too far from 5th place KT (18 wins, 2 draws, 18 losses) with a gap of 2.5 games. With Kwon Bin expected to return by the end of May, there is hope for a strong comeback. Kwon Bin, who has recovered from an intercostal muscle injury, had his first bullpen session (42 pitches) on the 6th and will have his second bullpen session (expected 60 pitches) on the 9th. If all goes well, he may return by mid-May.
Manager Lee Seung-yeop said, "Since Bin will be returning soon, I am looking forward to that. If the date for Bin's return is clearly set, even if he's not with us right now, I think the mood of the team will improve just by having a set date."
Kang Seung-ho remarked, "Although we currently sit in the lower tier, I believe we have the strength to rise since we have more than 100 games left, and we still have enough time to potentially play in the postseason."
Park Jung-won, the owner of Doosan, unusually told the players during spring training, "We are not playing baseball to finish in 4th or 5th place." Doosan has been eliminated in the wild card playoff series for two consecutive years. This year, they need to reach higher heights even in the postseason.
Kang Seung-ho stated, "We need to at least make the postseason, and we should aim to improve our final ranking in the playoffs." He added, "Since the chairman mentioned something like that, it has motivated us and felt more empowering than burdensome. It seems like it woke me up mentally."
Doosan will face NC Dinos, who are currently on a 5-game winning streak, after a rest day on the 8th. The following week, they will sequentially take on Hanwha Eagles and Kia Tigers.
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