The Doosan Bears started their week with a dominant performance over the Lotte Giants on Tuesday, winning 9-2. The game continued the homestand for the Giants at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.
The win saw the Bears get ahead early with runs, scoring six runs against starter Dan Straily.
Straily’s four-inning performance saw him record his highest ERA in a 2020 appearance, finishing with an ERA of 13.50. The loss moved Straily’s 2020 record to 7-5.
The game was played without a live crowd, as spiking COVID-19 cases in South Korea have caused the majority of KBO teams to not allow audiences for the time being.
Bears Score Early
In the first inning, a hit from Kim Jae-hwan took home Jose Miguel Fernandez, who had scored a hit to get on base earlier in the inning.
Scoring picked up in the second starting with an error, as a missed throw to first base from Straily allowed runner Kim Jae-ho to score. Later in the inning, hits from Fernandez and Oh Jae-il made the game 4-0.
Scoring a fifth run for the Bears, Jung Soo-bin drove home a runner in the third inning.
In the final inning from Giants starter Straily, he allowed a sixth run, as Kim Jae-hwan drove home his second run of the game.
Choi Remains Undefeated
The Giants were able to score two runs in the game, with both coming against starting pitcher Choi Won-joon. The first was in the fourth inning, with a ground ball allowing Jung Hoon to get home. In the sixth, the last inning that saw Choi on the mound, a solo home run from Son Ah-seop gave them their second run.
Choi earned the win for his six-inning outing, keeping his 2020 record at an undefeated 7-0. Choi’s record is the second-highest undefeated record in the KBO this year, trailing NC Dinos pitcher Koo Chang-mo’s 9-0 record.
Insurance Runs Come In For Bears
Tacking onto their lead, the Bears scored three runs through the sixth and seventh. The run in the sixth came against Kim Dae-woo, a reliever who pitched in the fifth as well. The run was driven in by Choi Joo-hwan.
Two more runs came in the seventh inning for the Bears. The first came off of an error, as a ball passed third base, allowing Hur Kyoung-min to score. Reliever Lee In-bok was pulled from the game shortly after, with Kim Geon-guk replacing him. A hit from Fernandez drove home another run, which was scored against Lee. The final two innings of the game went scoreless.
Bears Take First Game of Four-Game
The Bears are set to play three more games this week versus the Giants, with the latter half at the home park of the Bears in Seoul. The Giants will host one more game this week, with Wednesday’s game starting at 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).
Around The KBO
In a series between the top two teams in the KBO currently, the NC Dinos defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 5-1. The win moved the Dinos up to being one-and-a-half games ahead of the Heroes in the KBO standings.
Scoring six runs against starter Kim Min-woo, the SK Wyverns got ahead early and went on to beat the Hanhwa Eagles 9-3.
After being scoreless for five innings, the KT Wiz scored six runs in the final four innings of their game, winning over the Samsung Lions 6-3.
Winning in walk-off fashion in the 10th inning, Kim Hyun-soo hit a solo home run to give the LG Twins a 6-5 win against the Kia Tigers.
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