The Samsung Lions won 5-4 in extra innings against the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) 2024 at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Wednesday. Park Byung-ho led the way with two home runs and three RBIs, including the game-winning hit in the top of the 11th inning. The win snapped a six-game losing streak against KIA. The Kia is now within four games of the second-place LG Twins, who swept the NC Dinos.
It was the debut of new ML 36-win pitcher Eric Lauer (29). He struggled in his much-hyped first start. Samsung’s hard-hitting lineup provided the spicy flavor of the KBO. In 3⅓ innings, he gave up four runs on seven hits (two home runs). He threw a 151-kilometer fastball, but it wasn’t a threat to Samsung hitters, especially against righties.
Kia’s bats responded to Lauer’s first pitch in the bottom of the first inning. After leadoff hitter Park Chan-ho singled to center, a walk was issued. Kim Do-young grounded out in front of the catcher, but Na Sung-beom drove a two-run double to right center for a 2-0 lead. Socrates then advanced to third on a wild pitch by Samsung right fielder Koo Ja-uk, and Kim Sun-bin responded with a single to center to make it 3-0.
Lauer was unable to protect the three runs, perhaps due to the nerves of his first start.
A single by Samsung’s Kang Min-ho turned the tide. He led off the second inning with a single and pulled a high cutter right down the middle for a solo shot. After Lee Jae-hyun drew a walk and stole second, Park Byung-ho doubled to right-center to score a run. Lee Sung-gyu’s errant throw to second and third tied the game at one.
Park made it 4-3 in the top of the fourth with a solo shot to left off Lauer. It was his 12th consecutive season with double-digit home runs. Ryu Ji-hyuk followed with a double down the right-field line. Lauer followed with a single off the foot of Lee Sung-gyu. Samsung was unfortunate as well, 파워볼게임 as the next two runners were thrown out at first and second by Kia reliever Kim Dae-yoo, leaving Kim Ji-chan and Kim Heon-gon stranded at the plate.
In the top of the fifth inning, Kia had a chance to tie the game at 1-1 after Lee Chang-jin doubled to right-center and Park Chan-ho singled to right, but Choi Won-joon grounded out to first base, leaving the runners stranded at third base. A sloppy throw to third base by Lee Chang-jin ended the inning. Coupled with two fielding errors, it was a day of poor execution on offense.
The Kia bullpen stepped up.
Kim Dae-yoo was followed by Kim Do-hyun in the fifth inning and got eight outs. The bullpen held on to tie the game. In the seventh inning, Lee Woo-sung and Han Jun-soo singled to put runners on first and third with no outs, and Park Chan-ho tied the game with an RBI single to right. However, Choi Won-joon fumbled the ball at first and second, and Kim Do-young singled to load the bases, but Na Sung-beom retired the tying run on a 1-3 pitch to right field.
Jang Hyun-sik pitched the eighth, Jeon Sang-hyun the ninth, and Jung Jung-young the 10th, but the offense couldn’t get going. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Socrates led off with a single and a walk, but Seo Gun-chang and Han Jun-soo were unable to get on base, sending the game into extra innings. Samsung also failed to capitalize in the top of the ninth inning when leadoff hitter Ryu Ji-hyuk singled and stole a base.
In the top of the 11th inning, the offense shined. The hero was Park Byung-ho. He led off the inning with a solo shot to left off Lee Hyung-beom to win the game. Reyes gave up three runs in five innings. Choi Ji-kwang, Lim Chang-min, Kim Jae-yoon, and Lee Sang-min pitched scoreless innings, and Oh Seung-hwan came in to save the day with the bases loaded in the 11th to end the KIA losing streak.