Doosan secured a winning streak while Kia failed to break its losing streak.
The Doosan Bears defeated the Kia Tigers 9-6 in the 2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League game held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 29th. Rookie starter Choi Min-seok pitched excellently with 1 run allowed over 6 innings, and there were a total of 13 hits, including Kim Jae-hwan's 274th career two-run home run. They achieved their second consecutive victory, while Kia fell into a pit of seven straight losses.
Doosan, aiming for its third consecutive victory, used players including Jung Soo-bin (center fielder), Lee Yu-chan (shortstop), Cave (right fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim In-tae (left fielder), Park Joon-soon (third baseman), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Park Gye-beom (second baseman), and Kim Min-seok (first baseman). Kim Jae-hwan, who usually batted fourth and fifth, was placed seventh, and Kim Min-seok also made an appearance this time.
Kia, determined to escape its six-game losing streak, fielded players including Ko Jong-wook (left fielder), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Oh Sun-woo (first baseman), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Na Sung-bum (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Wisdom (third baseman), Han Joon-soo (catcher), and Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder). Manager Lee Beom-ho mentioned the six-game losing streak and noted, "We lost by a small margin. On the contrary, we need to win by a small margin" as he urged improvement.
Doosan's offense was fierce against Kia starter Kim Do-hyun. In the second inning, the lead-off hitter Yang Eui-ji had a bloop hit to right-center. After Kim In-tae drew a walk, Park Joon-soon responded with a timely hit that split the infield, scoring the first run. During this process, Kia's third baseman Wisdom made a throwing error that sent the runners to second and third. Kim Jae-hwan hit a sacrifice fly to center field, making the score 2-0.
The third inning was aided by Wisdom's error. Jung Soo-bin and Lee Yu-chan hit consecutive singles to right. During Cave's ground ball back to the pitcher, they caught the runner on third base in a pickle, but Wisdom made another bewildering throwing error that gave away another run. Yang Eui-ji supported with a blooped timely hit that fell in front of left field, extending the lead to 4-0. In the fourth inning, with two outs, Kim Min-seok and Jung Soo-bin hit consecutive triples, capturing a 5-0 advantage.
Doosan's offense in the sixth inning was also fierce. Kim Jae-hwan reached base with a double to the right fielder's side, and after a sacrifice bunt, Kim Min-seok responded with a timely hit that pierced through the first and second basemen against Kim Dae-yu. In the ensuing one-out bases loaded situation, Cave's sacrifice fly to center field stretched the lead to 7-0. In the seventh inning, Kim Jae-hwan hit a two-run home run to seal the game. He set a franchise record for the most home runs (274). It was a day where they created chances and scored well. Choi Min-seok achieved his third victory of the season with just 2 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run allowed through 6 innings. Kim Taek-yeon stopped the 9th with a three-point lead and earned a save.
Kia couldn't enjoy the benefits of the 3-for-3 big deal either. They were rendered powerless against Doosan's rookie starter Choi Min-seok's two-seam fastball and slider fork. In the first inning, after one out, Park Chan-ho drew a walk, but Oh Sun-woo hit into a double play. In the second inning as well, from one out and one on, Kim Sun-bin hit into a double play, killing the momentum. In the sixth inning, with two outs, Ko Jong-wook hit a solo homer to score a run. In the seventh inning, Na Sung-bum hit a solo homer to right-center, and Kim Ho-ryeong's two-run timely hit with the bases loaded made it 4-9. In the ninth inning, a two-run home run by Kim Tae-gun was hit, but the score gap was large.
Kia starter Kim Do-hyun faltered. He had a poor outing, allowing 6 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts over 5⅓ innings. Although he exceeded 100 innings for the first time in his debut, he allowed too many hits. There was no support from the batting lineup, and defensive errors compounded the issues. Right-handed Kim Si-hoon, who made his appearance after the trade, gave up a two-run home run and allowed 2 runs. Wisdom, caught in a severe hitting slump, didn't even come to bat and was replaced after consecutive errors.
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