The Korea Professional Baseball's KT Wiz defeated the Samsung Lions with a perfect balance between pitching and batting.
KT achieved a victory of 10-3 in an away game against Samsung at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on 14th. Meanwhile, the biggest factor in Samsung's loss was the collapse of their ace starter Ariel Huerto.
KT, led by foreign pitcher William Cuevas as the starting pitcher, set the batting order with center fielder Bae Jeong-dae, second baseman Kim Sang-su, right fielder Ahn Hyun-min, designated hitter Lee Jeong-hoon, third baseman Heo Gyeong-min, left fielder Mel Rojas Jr., first baseman Lee Ho-yeon, catcher Jo Dae-hyun, and shortstop Kwon Dong-jin.
Manager Lee Kang-cheol noted the reason he assigned Lee Jeong-hoon to bat fourth for the first time since his transfer was that he was strong against Samsung's starter Huerto. Lee Jeong-hoon held an advantage against Huerto with 3 hits in 6 at-bats.
In response, Samsung arranged their starting lineup with center fielder Kim Ji-chan, second baseman Yang Do-geun, designated hitter Koo Ja-wook, first baseman Lewin Diaz, catcher Kang Min-ho, left fielder Kim Tae-hun, right fielder Park Seung-kyu, third baseman Kim Young-woong, and shortstop Lee Jae-hyun.
Prospect Hwang Dong-jae, who was the 1st draft pick, was scheduled to start against KT on the 13th, but the game was postponed due to rain, and he will join the bullpen. Manager Park Jin-man stated that 'Hwang Dong-jae needs to play an important role in the bullpen' and added that 'if a replacement starter is needed next time, Yang Chang-seob will get the opportunity.'
KT scored the first point. In the 3rd inning, Kim Sang-su hit a two-run homer followed by Lee Jeong-hoon hitting a two-run homer over the right field wall. They quickly completed a big inning. KT set up a chance for 2nd and 1 out in the 4th inning with a hit by lead-off batter Lee Ho-yeon and a sacrifice bunt by Kwon Dong-jin. Although Kwon Dong-jin struck out on three pitches, Bae Jeong-dae hit a left-field single to add another run.
In the 5th inning, they made another big inning. After one out, Heo Gyeong-min's single to center field was followed by Rojas Jr.'s double that went over the left fielder's head to add one run. Lee Ho-yeon hit a single to center field, bringing the runner Rojas Jr. home. Jo Dae-hyun walked, increasing the runners on base to two. Kwon Dong-jin hit a two-run double that split the left and center field. Soon after, Bae Jeong-dae's single to center field erupted. 10-0.
In the 8th inning, when defeat seemed inevitable for Samsung, Lee Seong-kyu's solo homer over right field and Koo Ja-wook's two-run homer allowed them to narrow the gap by three points.
KT's starting pitcher Cuevas achieved his 3rd win of the season with 7 innings pitched, allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, and no runs scored. Kim Sang-su and Lee Jeong-hoon hit two-run homers to support their offense. Lee Ho-yeon tied his personal record for the most hits in a single game with 4 hits.
On the other hand, Samsung's starter Huerto collapsed with 4⅓ innings pitched, allowing 9 hits (2 home runs), 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, and 7 runs.
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