A shutout 5-0 performance for the Lotte Giants meant the 17th consecutive loss for the Hanhwa Eagles on Thursday. The win finished an undefeated six-game home stretch for the Giants, seeing the team take three wins of the Eagles and KT Wiz at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, Korea.
Starters See Short Appearance
Appearances from both starters were brief in the game, with the shorter of the two being a two-and-one-third inning performance from Eagles pitcher Jang Min-jae, who was given the loss for the game.
While Giants pitcher Seo Jun-won did not allow any runs in his five-inning outing, there was three separate innings where he had to pitch out of a bases-loaded jam. Seo earned his third win of the season, moving his record to 3-1.
One-Way Traffic Favours Giants
Getting it going in the first inning, the Giants saw scoring plays off the bats of An Chi-hong and Oh Yoon-suk.
They scored again in the fourth inning, with a sacrifice flying from Dixon Machado bringing in Lee Dae-ho.
Making his first appearance of 2020, Ji Sung-joon scored an RBI, with a walk to first forcing a run home. The play extended the Giants lead to 4-0. The catcher played for the opposing Eagles for four previous seasons before joining the Busan club.
In the eighth inning, a hit from Son Ah-seop scored a fifth run for the Giants, coming against reliever Yoon Dae-kyung, who was making only his third 2020 appearance.
Giants Back Into Top Half
Now with six wins in a row, the Giants have sprung back into the top half of the KBO standings. They potentially could go up or down a spot in their next game, being half a game between fourth and sixth place. The Giants are currently the only team to have more than a two-game winning streak in the KBO.
Finishing their six-game home stretch, the Giants now head to Seoul, Korea, where they face the LG Twins for the first time this season. Similarly, the Eagles will host the Doosan Bears, who they have not played in 2020. First pitch for Friday’s games will be at 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).
Around The KBO
Making up for their rained out game yesterday, the LG Twins won a 4-3 and 3-1 game over the SK Wyverns. The successful afternoon now ties the Twins with the Doosan Bears for second place in the KBO.
A batter’s game went in favour of the KT Wiz, who defeated the Kia Tigers 13-8 on Thursday.
Extending the gap in the KBO standings from first to second place, the NC Dinos took a 7-5 win over the Doosan Bears, weathering a late storm from the 2019 KBO Champions.
After having two innings where they scored three runs in each, the Samsung Lions were able to coast to a 6-3 victory over the Kiwoom Heroes.
JackWannan.com 