The NC Dinos won two games over the Lotte Giants on Sunday, finishing their weekend series against the team up two-games-to-one. The Dinos won an afternoon game with a score of 7-2, later on winning their evening matchup with a similar score of 6-2.
The games took place at the home ballpark for the Giants, the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.
Lee Seung-heon Returns In Afternoon Game
The afternoon game was the return of Giants pitcher Lee Seung-heon after numerous months out of action. Lee was part of the Giants starting rotation earlier in the season, although he was removed after taking a line drive to the head in mid-May, causing a “slight forehead fracture.”
Lee was pulled in the fifth inning after giving up four runs. Due to putting other runners on base, six runs were scored against Lee by the end of the game.
The Dinos got on the board in the third inning, as a wild pitch allowed both Kwon Hee-dong and Aaron Altherr to get home.
The scoring picked back up in the fifth, as the Dinos put down five more runs. The scoring started with a triple from Park Min-woo which took two runners home.
After intentionally walking a batter, Giants starter Lee was taken out of play. Oh Hyun-taek took the mound for the Giants, finishing the inning.
Before the inning concluded, hits from Kang Jin-sung and Park Suk-min took home three more runners, making the score 7-0.
The first run for the Giants came due to a collision at first base. While catching a ground ball, Dinos first baseman Kang Jin-sung collided with Kim Jae-yoo, who was running to the base. Both players remained in the game following the incident. While it happened, Giants player An Chi-hong came around from second base to home to make the game 7-1.
The second run for the Giants came in the closing moments of the game, as Kim scored a solo home run over closer Bae Min-seo.
Dinos player Mike Wright was given his 10th win of the season for his start on the mound. Having played six innings, Wright allowed six hits and three walks while earning seven strikeouts.
Dinos Win Evening Game With Lineup of Relievers
The Dinos had a lineup of relieving pitchers sharing the nine innings of play for the evening game. Park Jin-woo had the longest stint of the eight pitchers, playing the first two-and-one-third innings of the game.
Park allowed two runs in his appearance, as hits from Son Ah-seop and Jeon Jun-woo both drove home runs in the third inning. The runs put the Giants ahead by two.
The Dinos started to score in the fourth inning, with Yang Eui-ji scoring a solo home run. The team tied up the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning when a sacrifice fly from Park Min-woo took Kim Hyung-joon home.
A strong sixth inning gave the team a lead that the Giants weren’t able to come back from. First was a hit from Lee Myung-hi that scored a run. While Ko Hyo-jun was on the mound, the play was scored against Noh Kyung-eun, who allowed the runner.
Park Min-woo scored two more runs with a hit later in the inning, making the game 5-2.
Before the game finished, Yang Eui-ji scored the final run for the Dinos, hitting a solo home run against Giants closer Kim Won-joong.
Allowing the first three runs of the game, Noh was handed a loss. His 2020 record is now 4-7 through 19 appearances. His last win was back in early August over the Kia Tigers.
The fifth pitcher to appear in the game for the Dinos, Im Chang-min, was given the win for the game. He allowed one walk and three hits through his inning-and-one-third of play. The save went to Won Jong-hyun, who pitched the final inning of the game.
Previewing The Upcoming Week For The Giants
The next week of games will see the Giants face two teams that they have been successful against, playing the KT Wiz and Hanhwa Eagles in a two-game series each.
The week will finish with a two-game series against the Kia Tigers, a team that has won nine of the 13 appearances they’ve had against the Giants this season.
The first pitch for Tuesday’s game between the Wiz and Giants is scheduled for 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).
Around The KBO
The KT Wiz broke into the double digits of the score on Sunday, defeating the SK Wyverns 10-2. The victory was the 11th the Wiz have earned against the Wyverns in 2020 through 13 games. The win moved the Wiz up to third in the KBO.
Scoring in almost every inning, the Samsung Lions won 14-6 over the Kiwoom Heroes on Sunday.
Numerous scoring plays in the seventh inning allowed the Hanhwa Eagles to get ahead in a tie game and eventually defeat the Kia Tigers 11-3.
Mounting a comeback in the final two innings of the game, the Doosan Bears scored four runs to defeat the LG Twins 6-5. The team won in walk-off fashion after a hit from Park Se-hyuk in the ninth inning scored the deciding run.
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