The NC Dinos picked up a 9-2 win over the Lotte Giants on Thursday, ending the six-game winning streak that the Giants had carried throughout the month of August. The win was the last of the two-game series hosted by the Giants at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.
Sampson Has Rough Return
The game saw Giants starter Adrian Sampson have a rough return to the mound, being taken out in the second inning after giving up six runs. Sampson’s previous game was on July 21st, where he was abruptly pulled in the fourth inning after landing awkwardly on his left leg.
The game, which was his seventh loss of the season, moved his ERA up to 7.20, the highest in the KBO for any pitcher who has pitched 50 or more innings.
Dinos Get Ahead By Six Early
Three separate hits scored the Dinos runs in the first inning. Yang Eui-ji, Park Suk-min and No Jin-hyuk all got an RBI each from hits that drove home runs.
Before being pulled in the second inning, Sampson gave up a three-run home run to Na Sung-bum that moved the score to 6-0.
The Giants got on the board in the fourth inning, as a hit from Min Byung-hun scored two runs. The team did not score any more runs in the game.
The Dinos tacked on extra runs later in the game although in retrospect they were not needed. In an inning that could have been much worse for the Giants, only one run scored in the sixth inning. With bases loaded, runner Ji Suk-hoon got home as the Giants infield got a double play. The team attemped a triple play, although Aaron Altherr was safe at first base.
The play came against reliever Lee In-bok, although the run was scored against Jang Won-sam, as he was in the inning for the batters before.
The two final runs of the game came in the eighth inning, as Yang Eui-ji scored two more RBIs off of a hit against Han Seung-hyuk.
Shin Gets First KBO Win
21-year-old Dinos pitcher Shin Min-hyuk had his first career KBO start in the game, pitching seven innings for the win. The rookie’s two previous KBO appearances were shorter, playing less than three innings in each.
Giants Remain In Sixth Ahead of Series Versus Heroes
The Giants continue to sit in a volatile spot in the KBO standings that could up or down due to one day of play. The team sits sixth with a 39-36-1 record, just barely above the 40-37-1 KT Wiz who trail.
The Giants will play the second half of their week against the Kiwoom Heroes, with the first game starting on Friday at 5:00PM KST (4:00AM EDT).
Around The KBO
Getting ahead in the first half of the game with three runs, the LG Twins held on for a 4-2 win over the Kia Tigers.
Getting his second win of the year, Jake Brigham pitched six innings for the Kiwoom Heroes, who defeated the Hanhwa Eagles 6-3.
Early runs from the Samsung Lions including a two-run home run from Koo Ja-wook helped the team win 3-2 over the Doosan Bears.
A high-scoring game saw the SK Wyverns score eight runs in the first two innings. The team held onto their lead for the rest of the game, defeating the KT Wiz 10-6.
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