Byun Sang-kwon, Song Sung-moon, Kim Tae-jin explode for 3-hit outbursts
After more than four hours of hard-fought action, Kiwoom pulled off a thrilling upset over NC.
Kiwoom came from behind to win 14-9 against NC at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on April 1. Kiwoom rallied from a 3-9 deficit in the fourth inning to win the game in the fifth inning.
Kiwoom’s Byun Sang-kwon, Song Sung-moon, and Kim Tae-jin each had three hits. Joo Seung-woo struck out three batters in a row to secure the win for his team.
Shortly after the game started, both teams traded home runs. In the top of the first inning, NC’s leadoff hitter Park Min-woo doubled, and then Park Si-won dropped a ball at his feet that turned into a double, putting runners on first and third. Seo Ho-cheol’s grounder to shortly afterward brought home Park Min-woo to give NC a quick lead. In the second inning, Kim Hwijip drew a walk and Kim Sung-wook singled over the right field wall to score three more runs.
In the bottom of the first inning, Song Sung-moon turned the tide. With the bases loaded and no outs, Song took a fastball from NC’s Lee Jae-hak and sent it over the wall behind left field.
In the top of the second inning, NC went on a run. Lee Jae-hwan led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Park Joo-won. When Kim Yoon-ha’s throw was missed by catcher Kim Gun-hee, Jae-hwan stole third and came home on Park Min-woo’s sacrifice fly. Shortly after, Park Si-won’s triple brought NC back into the scoring column. Seo Ho-chul’s ground ball bounced toward third base, but Song was a step too late and Park scored from third. NC extended its lead to 6-1.
Kiwoom refused to give up. In the bottom of the inning, Lee Yong-kyu led off with a single and stole second after Kim Tae-jin hit a deep single to right field. Lee Joo-hyung followed with a double to bring home both Kim Tae-jin and Lee Yong-kyu.
In the top of the third, Kim Yoon-ha walked, advancing Kim Sung-wook, who was on first base, to second. Kim was then thrown out trying to steal third base. With 메이저사이트 runners on second and third, Kim Joo-won singled to drive in Park Se-hyuk from second, and then Park Min-woo’s throw to third went over the third baseman, bringing home both Nusang Jae-hwan and Kim Joo-won. The long third inning ended with NC extending its lead to 9-3.
NC relieved Lee Jae-hak in the bottom of the third and sent Lim Jung-ho to the mound. Kiwoom removed Kim Yoon-ha to start the fifth inning and brought in Kim Dong-wook.
In the bottom of the fifth, Kiwoom pulled away. With the bases loaded and two outs, Lee Yong-kyu drew a walk to bring home Byun Sang-kwon from third base and Song Sung-moon from second base. Kim Tae-jin followed with a deep fly ball to right field, bringing home Choi Joo-hwan at third and Lee Yong-kyu at first.
Kim Hwijip, playing first base for the first time in his debut, committed an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. When Byun Sang-kwon’s grounder bounced in front of the pitcher, he vacated first base and came forward to chase the ball. With the infield empty, Byun quickly took first base. Song Sung-moon’s throw hit the fence and fell, allowing Byun to cross home plate. Kim Hye-sung singled to bring home Song Sung-moon from second base, and Kiwoom finally tied the game at 9-9. After Choi Ju-hwan grounded out to short, Ko Young-woo’s sacrifice fly brought home Kim Hye-sung. Kiwoom took a 10-9 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Byun Sang-kwon led off with a double. After Kim Hye-sung walked, Choi Joo-hwan hit a 1-2-3 home run to seal the win for Kiwoom. As Kim Tae-jin stepped up to the plate, the fans chanted “Kim Tae-jin home run” in hopes of a cycling hit by Kim Tae-jin, who had all 1-2-3 at-bats in the game. However, Kim Tae-jin struck out. Kim Jae-hyun walked to load the bases with two outs, and Lee Joo-hyung drew a walk to push in another run.
In the top of the ninth, Kiwoom brought in Joo Seung-woo to close the game. Joo struck out NC’s Kim Sung-wook, Kim Hyung-joon, and Lee Jae-hwan to preserve the win for Kiwoom. The long game ended with a 14-9 victory for Kiwoom.