KIA, which secured 2 wins and 1 draw against the league's bottom team earlier in the week, failed to maintain a .500 winning percentage against KT amid its hitless streak. Manager Lee Beom-ho's bold lineup featuring eight right-handed batters did not pay off.

The KIA Tigers lost to the KT Wiz 1-3 in the seventh matchup of the season in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 30th.

Ahead of the game, KIA opted for a bold lineup against KT starter Emmanuel De Jesus. Manager Lee Beom-ho noted, "Left-handed batters have been struggling against De Jesus, so I included many right-handed batters in the lineup. Since right-handed batters have some advantages, I will trust them today," deploying a batting order of Park Chan-ho, Yun Do-hyun, Hwang Dae-in, Choi Hyung-woo, Lee Woo-sung, Jeong Hae-won, Park Min, Kim Tae-gun, and Kim Ho-ryeong. Eight of them were right-handed batters, except for Choi Hyung-woo.

However, KIA's right-handed batters also thoroughly failed to attack De Jesus, who had a monthly earned run average of 5.91 in May. The signs were not good from the first inning when a scoring opportunity went awry. After one out, Kim Do-hyun hit a double to left field, creating an opportunity, but Hwang Dae-in struck out swinging and Choi Hyung-woo grounded out to the shortstop.

In the second inning, four batters fell victim to strikeouts. Lead-off hitter Lee Woo-sung reached base on a strikeout and foul-out, followed by Jeong Hae-won and Park Min, who both struck out looking, and Kim Tae-gun, who struck out swinging. De Jesus became the 11th player in KBO League history to achieve the rare feat of four strikeouts in one inning.

In the fourth inning, lead-off batter Choi Hyung-woo hit a single to left field, becoming the sole second all-time in KBO League history for most hits (2,505), but Lee Woo-sung hit into a fielder's choice, and Jeong Hae-won grounded into a double play involving the second baseman, shortstop, and first baseman, dousing the rally.

The missed scoring chance in the sixth inning was also painful. Lead-off batter Park Chan-ho hit a single to right field, and Hwang Dae-in walked after battling for seven pitches, setting up a first and second base opportunity with one out, but Choi Hyung-woo struck out swinging and Lee Woo-sung popped out to left field, ending the inning.

KIA finally scored its first run in the eighth inning after trailing 0-3. With two outs and no runners on base, Yun Do-hyun, who graduated with Kim Do-young, hit a solo home run to left field, igniting a flicker of hope. However, Hwang Dae-in’s flyout to right field ended the eighth inning, and in the ninth inning, Choi Hyung-woo, Lee Woo-sung, and pinch hitter Oh Seon-woo were retired in order against KT closer Park Young-hyun. The game was over.

KIA failed to achieve a three-game winning streak, as its .500 winning percentage collapsed again after a three-day span since the game against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 27th. The season record stands at 26 wins, 1 draw, and 27 losses. Despite a bold batting lineup tailored for left-handed ace De Jesus, only Yun Do-hyun managed to stand out with three hits, including a home run.

Starting pitcher Kim Do-hyun delivered a solid performance over five innings, allowing six hits (one home run), three walks, striking out five, and giving up three runs on 96 pitches but ended up as the losing pitcher.

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