The Tigers continued their momentum against Doosan with home runs from Patrick Wisdom and Choi Won-jun.

KIA won 8-3 in the 8th match of the season against the Doosan Bears during the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 4th.

KIA has secured a three-game winning streak and a seven-game winning streak against Doosan, clinching a winning series early in the week. Season record: 29 wins, 1 draw, 28 losses. Meanwhile, Doosan, currently on a four-game losing streak and a seven-game losing streak against KIA, has now fallen to 23 wins, 3 draws, and 34 losses. This is the second consecutive loss since the appointment of acting manager Cho Sung-hwan.

On the road, KIA faced Doosan starter rookie Choi Min-seok, fielding a starting lineup that included Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Choi Won-jun (right fielder), Yoon Do-hyun (second baseman), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Oh Seon-woo (first baseman), Patrick Wisdom (third baseman), Kim Seok-hwan (left fielder), Kim Tae-kyun (catcher), and Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder). '42-year-old solver' Choi Hyung-woo returned to the lineup after resting the previous day.

In response, Doosan faced KIA starter James Naile with Jung Soo-bin (center fielder), Jake Cave (right fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Kim Min-hyeok (first baseman), Lee Sun-woo (shortstop), Park Jun-soo (third baseman), and Kim Jun-sang (second baseman).

The infield configuration was surprising. First baseman Kim Min-hyeok, second baseman Kim Jun-sang, third baseman Park Jun-soo, and shortstop Lee Sun-woo all came from the backup players. Park Jun-soo (1st round), Lee Sun-woo (5th round), and Kim Jun-sang (development player) are all rookies who debuted in the pro league this year. Yang Eui-ji also returned after shaking off a back injury the previous day.

Before a crowd of 23,750 at Jamsil, the first point was scored by Doosan. In the bottom of the first, with one out, Cave hit a single to right, followed by a hit-by-pitch on Yang Eui-ji, putting Kim Jae-hwan in position to hit a two-run double deep into left field, giving Doosan the lead. However, a continued opportunity with one out and runners on second and third ended in disappointment as Kim Min-seok grounded into a fielder's choice and Kim Min-hyeok grounded into a shortstop's groundout.

KIA mounted a counterattack in the top of the second. Lead-off batter Choi Hyung-woo hit a double, and Oh Seon-woo followed with a single to right, setting the stage for Choi Hyung-woo to score the tying run on a passed ball.

In the top of the third, lead-off batter Kim Ho-ryeong and Park Chan-ho earned consecutive walks, but a passed ball and a catching error by catcher Yang Eui-ji set up a golden opportunity with no outs on second and third, but Choi Won-jun interrupted the momentum with a flyout to third base, and during Yoon Do-hyun's groundout to third, the runner Kim Ho-ryeong was tagged out at home. Subsequently, the runner Park Chan-ho tried to score on a passed ball but was tagged out as well.

Doosan took the lead in the bottom of the third when lead-off batter Jung Soo-bin drew a walk after an 8-pitch battle and stole second successfully. Although Cave struck out swinging, Yang Eui-ji hit a clutch single to left center, breaking the 1-1 tie.

KIA's lineup rallied again in the top of the fourth. Lead-off batter Choi Hyung-woo and Oh Seon-woo each earned a walk. Following this, Wisdom delivered a clutch single to center, driving in a run to tie the game, and taking advantage of a fielding error by center fielder Jung Soo-bin, the runner on first, Oh Seon-woo, scored to put KIA ahead.

Doosan tied it again in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run from Yang Eui-ji with two outs. Getting ahead with the count at 2 balls and 1 strike, he pulled a sinker (147 km) from Naile on the fourth pitch for a 115-meter home run to left. It was his ninth home run of the season, coming after five games since the matchup against the KT Wiz on May 28.

The pivotal moment came in the top of the sixth. After one out, Oh Seon-woo drew a walk, and Wisdom launched a two-run homer to break the 3-3 tie. After a full count, he hit a high fastball (152 km) from Lee Young-ha, traveling 130 meters across left field for a massive home run. It marked the first time he reached double-digit home runs of the season after 41 days since the game against the Samsung Lions on April 24.

In the top of the seventh, KIA's lead-off batter Kim Ho-ryeong hit an infield single, and Park Chan-ho reached first base on a fielding error by the third baseman, but Choi Won-jun failed a bunt, Yoon Do-hyun struck out swinging, and Choi Hyung-woo grounded into a fielder's choice.

In the top of the eighth, KIA extended its lead after one out, with Wisdom hitting a single to center and Kim Kyu-sung hitting a double to right field, setting up runners on second and third, leading to a sacrifice fly by Kim Tae-kyun.

KIA didn't stop there; in the top of the ninth, lead-off batter Park Chan-ho's single to right was followed by Choi Won-jun's two-run home run, sealing the game. Choi Won-jun hit a high fastball (141 km) from Doosan rookie Hong Min-kyu on the third pitch with a count of 1 ball and 1 strike, launching a 115-meter home run. It was his fourth home run of the season, coming 18 days after the doubleheader against Doosan on May 17. Before this, Choi Won-jun also made a spectacular catch on a big hit from Kim In-tae to prevent a home run the previous inning.

KIA starter Naile pitched 5 innings allowing 6 hits (1 home run) with 3 walks, 5 strikeouts, giving up 3 runs and throwing 86 pitches to secure his fourth win (1 loss) of the season. Despite having the pitch count to spare, he was replaced in the sixth inning after being hit on the right hand by a hard hit ball from Jake Cave. A KIA official noted, "There is minor swelling, so we replaced him as a precaution. He is currently undergoing icing treatment, and there are no plans for a hospital examination today."

Following Naile, Seong Young-tak (1 inning, no runs), Lee Jun-young (1 inning, no runs), Jo Sang-woo (1 inning, no runs), and Kim Hyun-soo (1 inning, no runs) closed the game, with Seong Young-tak earning his first hold in his debut.

In the batting lineup, foreign player Wisdom led the attack with 5 at-bats, 3 hits, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs, including the decisive two-run home run.

Doosan starter rookie Choi Min-seok pitched 5 innings allowing 3 hits with 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 3 runs allowed (2 earned). The losing pitcher was Lee Young-ha who pitched 1 inning allowing 1 hit (1 home run), 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs. Multi-hit games by Yang Eui-ji and Kim Min-seok were overshadowed by the defeat.

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