The Lotte Giants moved up to sixth in the KBO on Saturday following a 5-3 win over the Samsung Lions. The win, which saw the Giants overtake the Kia Tigers in the standings, took place at the ballpark for the Lions, the Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea.
The Giants improved their record to 43-30-1 with the win, passing the Tigers who have a 44-42 record. The team now sits one-and-a-half games behind the KT Wiz, who hold the fifth and final spot into the KBO playoffs currently.
Starters Dictate Score
The game on Saturday was one that was decided off of the performances from both starting pitchers, as scoring did not happen past six innings of play.
Giants and Lions Trade Lead Early
The Lions took a short lead in the first inning, getting two runs in against Giants starting pitcher Seo Jun-won. After Koo Ja-wook took home a run off of a hit, a sacrifice fly from Kang Min-ho drove in another, making the game 2-0.
The Giants were quick to respond, regaining the lead in the second inning after a three-run home run from Shin Bon-gi.
Tying the game up, another hit from Lions player Koo brought in a run in the fifth inning. The fifth inning was the last for starter Seo, who was given his sixth win of the season for his performance.
In the final inning from Lions starter Won Tae-in, the Giants were able to score runs to take a lead that wouldn’t be battled back from. A fielder’s choice play off of a ground ball from Min Byung-hun and a hit from pinch hitter Oh Yoon-suk scored a run each, giving the Giants their 5-3 lead.
Being given the loss for the game, Won’s 2020 record is now 6-5.
Giants closer Kim Won-joong earned his 13th save of the season for his ninth-inning performance.
Giants Finish Week Against Lions
This week was the first of six that will see KBO teams play three two-games series’ in a week as opposed to two three-game series’. The Giants will wrap up their week of play on Sunday playing the Lions again.
The first pitch for Sunday’s game is set for 5:00PM KST (4:00AM EDT).
Around The KBO
A strong win went to the Doosan Bears on Saturday, who defeated the SK Wyverns 8-1.
The Kiwoom Heroes battled back from a three-run deficit on Saturday, as a hit from Kim Woong-bin and a three-run home run from Heo Jeong-hyeop game the team a 4-3 win over the Kia Tigers.
Two games were rained out on Saturday. In Seoul, a game between the Hanhwa Eagles and LG Twins was stopped due to rain. At Suwon, rain also prevented a matchup between the NC Dinos and the KT Wiz. Due to the rain issues, the teams will play on Sunday as well as on Monday.
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