On the occasion of the retirement ceremony for 'genius shortstop' Kim Jae-ho, the key players of the dynasty awakened.
The Doosan Bears of professional baseball achieved an 8-7 comeback victory against the KT Wiz in the 12th match of the season held on June 6 at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium.
Doosan extended its winning streak to two games, marking a winning series for the weekend's three-game set. The season record is 34 wins, 3 draws, and 48 losses. In contrast, the KT Wiz, now on a two-game losing streak, has a record of 43 wins, 3 draws, and 40 losses.
On the road, the KT Wiz submitted a lineup against Doosan's starting left-handed pitcher Choi Seung-yong, featuring Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Kim Min-hyeok (left fielder), Ahn Hyun-min (designated hitter), Jang Seong-woo (catcher), Mel Rojas Jr. (right fielder), Moon Sang-cheol (first baseman), Hwang Jae-kyun (third baseman), Bae Jeong-dae (center fielder), and Jang Jun-won (shortstop).
Returning from injuries, Hwang Jae-kyun (hamstring) and Jang Jun-won (ankle fracture) were included in the starting lineup with their call-up to the first team. Manager Lee Kang-cheol noted, "Originally, we planned to use Hwang Jae-kyun later, but Heo Kyung-min was feeling a bit unwell, so we decided to start him. Jang Jun-won was utilized since the opposing starter was a left-handed pitcher."
Doosan assembled a starting lineup against KT's left-handed starter Enmanuel De Jesus, including Lee Yoo-chan (shortstop), Jeong Su-bin (center fielder), Jake Cave (right fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Kim Jae-ho (shortstop), Oh Myung-jin (second baseman), Kang Seung-ho (first baseman), and Choo Jae-hyun (left fielder).
Kim Jae-ho, who had the retirement ceremony, was included in the first team roster through a special entry for retired players. He became the ninth player in history to be registered on the special retirement roster, following Kim Tae-kyun, Park Yong-taek, Na Ji-wan, Oh Jae-won, Dustin Nippert, Jeong Woo-ram, Park Kyung-soo, and Kim Kang-min. With his starting appearance on retirement day, he stepped onto the first team stage for the first time in 276 days since the second game of the wildcard playoff against KT held on October 3 last year at Jamsil Stadium.
Kim Jae-ho was substituted out for defensive replacement Park Jun-soon after two outs in the top of the first inning and announced his complete retirement in a ceremony where he handed over his jersey number '52' to super rookie Park Jun-soon.
The first score was claimed by Doosan. In the bottom of the first inning, lead-off batter Lee Yoo-chan hit a double deep to left field, and Jeong Su-bin's sacrifice bunt advanced Lee to third base. Then, Cave broke the scoreless tie with a run-scoring infield single. However, an opportunity with two outs and runners on first and second, following Cave's stolen base and Kim Jae-hwan's hit by pitch, was squandered as Park Jun-soon struck out swinging.
The KT Wiz launched a counterattack in the top of the third inning. Lead-off batter Bae Jeong-dae drew a straight walk, and Jang Jun-won's sacrifice bunt set the stage for scoring. Although Kim Sang-su was retired on a fly out to left field, Kim Min-hyeok and Ahn Hyun-min hit back-to-back run-scoring singles, leading to a 2-1 lead. Afterward, Jang Seong-woo continued the momentum with a single to center, but Rojas, who came up with two outs and runners on first and third, ended the inning with a strikeout.
KT did not stop. In the top of the fourth inning, lead-off batter Moon Sang-cheol walked, and Hwang Jae-kyun reached base with a single to center, setting up for Bae Jeong-dae's sacrifice bunt to ensure one out with runners on second and third. After Jang Jun-won's looking strikeout, Kim Sang-su delivered a two-run single to center.
Doosan ignited the flame of pursuit in the bottom of the fifth inning when lead-off batter Kang Seung-ho got a left-field single on a full count. After successfully stealing second base, Kang reached third on Choo Jae-hyun's ground out, and Jeong Su-bin hit a run-scoring single to center with two outs and a runner on third.
KT did not stay idle either. In the top of the sixth inning, lead-off batter Oh Yun-seok hit a double to left-center, and Hwang Jae-kyun advanced Oh to third with a ground ball to first base. Then, Bae Jeong-dae extended the lead with a sacrifice fly to left field.
Doosan narrowed the gap back to two runs with a solo home run by lead-off batter Yang Eui-ji in the bottom of the sixth inning. Yang Eui-ji targeted Jesus's fifth pitch, a low slider (137 km/h), in a 0B-2S disadvantageous count, connecting for a 125-meter shot over the left field. This was his 13th home run of the season, coming 22 days after the game against the Kiwoom Heroes on June 14.
KT widened the lead again in the top of the eighth inning, where Rojas drew a walk and Oh Yun-seok advanced on a ground out. With two outs and a runner on second, Hwang Jae-kyun hit a run-scoring single.
The critical moment was in the bottom of the eighth inning. Lead-off batter Jeong Su-bin drew a walk, and Cave hit a single to center, placing runners on first and second with no outs. Yang Eui-ji then hit a run-scoring single to left, followed by a thrilling three-run homer from Kim Jae-hwan against Ju-gwon. After watching the first pitch for a strike, he connected on the second pitch, a sinker (144 km/h), for a 115-meter shot over the right field. This was his eighth home run of the season, coming 39 days after his last one against KT on May 28.
Doosan did not stop there. Park Jun-soon reached base on a shortstop error, and Oh Myung-jin added a single to right, positioning runners on first and third, with Park Jun-soon scoring on a double play by Kang Seung-ho.
In the top of the ninth inning, with two outs, the KT Wiz created one last spark against Doosan's closer Kim Tae-kyun, when Kim Min-hyeok was hit by a pitch and Ahn Hyun-min drew a walk. Subsequently, Jang Seong-woo hit a run-scoring single to right, narrowing the gap to one run, but it wasn't enough to tie the game.
Doosan's starter Choi Seung-yong pitched 4 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 3 while giving up 4 runs on 80 pitches before exiting early. Park Shin-ji (2 innings, 1 run), Lee Yong-ha (1 inning, no runs), Park Chi-guk (1 inning, 1 run), and Kim Tae-kyun (1 inning, 1 run) followed him. Park Chi-guk recorded his second win of the season, while Kim Tae-kyun registered his 14th save.
In contrast, KT's starter Jesus pitched 6 innings, allowing 6 hits (including 1 home run), 1 hit by pitch, and striking out 6 while giving up 3 runs on 97 pitches, but the bullpen's struggles cost him the victory. The losing pitcher was Ju-gwon, who allowed 4 hits (including 1 home run) and 4 runs (3 earned) in 1 inning.
Doosan will face the Lotte Giants in Busan for their last three games of the first half starting on the 8th after a day off. KT will meet the SSG Landers in Incheon.
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