A 5-3 win for the Lotte Giants on Thursday over the Hanhwa Eagles saw Han Dong-hee as the main contributor at the plate. The third baseman scored four runs in the game off of two separate home runs.
The win gave the Giants their second win in the now-concluded three-game series at the Eagles home park, the Hanhwa Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, South Korea.
Han Plays Large Role In Giants Scoring
Most scoring for the Giants came against starter Kim Bum-soo, who pitched six innings before being pulled out of the game. Being handed the loss, Kim allowed four runs.
The Giants gained a lead early with a three-run home run by Han in the first inning. The Eagles were able to score a run of their own later in the inning, as Ha Ju-suk batted in a runner.
Just before Kim was taken out of the game, Han scored another run, hitting a solo home run to give the Giants their fourth run. Kim finished the inning before leaving the game.
Sampson Given Win
Similarly, the Eagles were able to get two runs on Giants starter Adrian Sampson before his exit. A hit from Oh Sun-jin drove home two runs, making the game a close 4-3 for the Giants still.
Sampson’s nearly complete six-inning game earned him his third win of the season, making his record 3-5 now. The game saw him deliver his lowest single-game ERA of the season apart from a scoreless appearance against the KT Wiz in June.
A late insurance run came for the Giants in the ninth inning as a sacrifice fly from An Chi-hong scored a run.
Giants closer Kim Won-joong was given his eighth save of the season for his ninth-inning performance.
Giants Have Potential To Move
With their win on Thursday, the Giants have a chance to move from eighth place in the KBO to seventh. Currently holding a 26-28 record, the Giants just barely trail the seventh-place 27-29 KT Wiz. The Wiz stay ahead for now as their .482 win percentage is higher than the Giants’ .481 percentage.
The Giants now head back home for a series against the 2019 KBO Champions the Doosan Bears. The Giants have gone 2-4 against the team this season.
The Eagles will stay at home for a three-game weekend series against the SK Wyverns. The team has won two games and lost four to the club in 2020.
Around The KBO
The Doosan Bears finished their series strong with a shutout 6-0 win over the LG Twins. Bears starter Raul Alcantara pitched seven innings, allowing only two hits in his outing.
A three-run rally in the fifth inning helped give the Kiwoom Heroes a 4-2 win over the Samsung Lions.
A game tied at two runs became a blowout in the seventh after the NC Dinos scored six runs. The top-ranked KBO team won 8-2 over the SK Wyverns.
Bouncing back from previous losses, the Kia Tigers pulled off a 10-4 win over the KT Wiz.
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