"Nail was the stepping stone to victory."
The Kia Tigers defeated the Doosan Bears 5-2 in the first game of a doubleheader at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 17th. They recorded their 20th win against 22 losses, marking their second consecutive victory. Doosan failed to achieve a four-game winning streak.
Starting pitcher James Nail was the key to the victory. He pitched until the seventh inning, allowing 6 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, and striking out 8 while giving up 2 runs. He earned his 3rd win of the season. He gave up his first home run of the season (1 point) to Yang Seok-hwan in the 4th inning but perfectly erased his previous struggles of giving up 7 runs in 4 innings against SSG.
Nail noted, "I don't think it was a perfect game, but I'm satisfied that I could help the team win. Since it was a doubleheader, I wanted to pitch as many innings as possible. With the help of the fielders and the bullpen pitchers, I was able to contribute to both the team’s victory and my own victory."
With Nail pitching 7 innings, the bullpen also performed smoothly. In the 8th inning, Lee Jun-young induced left-handed hitter Cave to hit into a ground ball to the second base. Joo Sang-woo then took the mound, allowing 1 walk but striking out Kim Jae-hwan and Yang Seok-hwan.
In the 9th inning, closer Jeong Hae-young took the mound, recording two strikeouts and inducing a ground ball to third base to secure the win. He recorded his 12th save of the season, bringing his career total to 133 saves, surpassing the 132 saves held by national treasure pitcher Sun Dong-yul, thus writing a new history for the Tigers.
In the batting lineup, Choi Hyung-woo's clutch ability stood out. He delivered a timely hit that dropped in front of the left fielder with 2 on and 1 out in the bottom of the 1st inning, and in the 3rd inning, he hit a two-run home run to extend the lead. Kia gained momentum by adding a point each in the 7th and 8th innings due to errors by the opponents.
After the game, manager Lee Beom-ho said, "The 7-inning performance by starting pitcher Nail was the stepping stone to victory. We could minimize the use of the bullpen, which will be of great help for managing the bullpen in the second game. The subsequent bullpen pitchers also did well as planned. I congratulate Jeong Hae-young on setting a new save record for the Tigers."
Additionally, he praised the players' concentration, saying, "The infielders showed great focus in their relentless play against the opposing starting pitcher. It was encouraging to score at the right time when we needed to execute our strategy or score."
He also promised, "Despite it being a doubleheader, a large number of fans showed up from the first game, which helped us achieve victory. We will prepare well for the second game to secure a winning series."
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