LG chose to face the RBI leader Choi Hyung-woo instead of the top run scorer Kim Do-young. Choi responded with a grand slam.
Choi Hyung-woo hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning against LG at Jamsil Stadium on Sept. 9 to lead KIA to an 11-4 victory. He went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and two runs scored.
After No. 3 Kim Do-young led off the top of the first with a double to left-center, No. 4 Choi Hyung-woo singled up the middle to drive in Kim. Four batters from No. 3 Kim Do-young to No. 6 Kim Sun-bin singled in consecutive at-bats to drive in LG starter Casey Kelly for a three-run first inning.
In the top of the third, Kim Do-young led off with a double to center, then Choi Hyung-woo singled to left, moving Kim to third, and Na Sung-beom followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0. In the top of the fifth inning, Nasungbeom doubled to center and Kim Sunbin singled to center to make it 5-0.
Kia starter James Nail didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, then gave up two runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to 5-2. Needing to make the most of their chances, the Kia bats attacked the LG bullpen in the top of the sixth inning.
After Kelly was removed for five runs on nine hits with one walk and five strikeouts in five innings, LG turned to its bullpen as right-hander Kim Young-joon took the mound. Kia batters reached base in succession. After No. 9 Park Chan-ho led off with a single to right, No. 1 Socrates singled up the middle to put runners on first and third. When Choi Won-jun grounded out to first base, Socrates stole second, and LG plated No. 3 Kim Do-young on an automatic double play to load the bases.
Kim, who currently leads the league in runs scored, had been in fine form earlier in the day, hitting a big double off the fence in his first at-bat. With Kim Young-joon unable to get out of the inning, LG decided to send Kim Do-young, a right-handed hitter, to first base to face Choi Hyung-woo, a left-handed hitter. Left-hander Lee Sang-young came on to pitch.
Choi is currently leading the league in RBIs. His ability to get out of jams with runners on base is among the best in the league. With a 2-2 pitch count, Choi lined a five-pitch 온라인카지노사이트 slider up the middle and lifted it over the right-field fence. Choi’s ninth home run of his career gave KIA a 9-2 lead.
Kia responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Starter Nail gave up a two-run homer to Austin Dean with the bases loaded to cut the lead to 9-4. Choi Hyung-woo’s grand slam proved to be the decisive blow.
Kia removed Nail with the bases loaded and replaced him with left-hander Kim Dae-yoo to prevent any more runs from scoring. After Choi Hyung-woo’s grand slam, Kim Dae-yoo, Kwak Do-kyu, Lim Ki-young, and Kim Sa-yoon pitched a scoreless inning to complete the victory.
After facing second-place LG in the first three games of the second half, KIA extended its lead to 4.5 games with a win on the first day. It is the largest gap between the two teams since Kia took over first place this season.
Kia manager Lee Bum-ho said, “We were a little worried about the hitters’ batting because it was the first game in five days, but I’m satisfied that they maintained a good batting average. The first game was important because it was against the second-place team. “We scored three runs in the first inning, starting with Kim Do-young’s RBI single to take the lead, and then Choi Hyung-woo hit the game-winning home run in the sixth inning. All of our batters had solid performances, including our center fielders. We had a good start to the second half and will prepare well for the next game.”