Winning by a whopping 13-run deficit, the Lotte Giants defeated the Kia Tigers in the first of a two-game series. The games are hosted by the Tigers at the Gwangju Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, South Korea.
The Giants put together 14 runs in the first three innings of play, putting the team into a double-digit lead before the Tigers scored their first runs.
Giants Win The Game Early
Hits from Lee Dae-ho, Oh Yoon-suk, Kim Joon-tae and Jung Hoon all scored runs in the first inning. A sacrifice fly from Dixon Machado and a wild pitch allowed two other runs to make the team have seven runs.
Trouble in the first inning caused the Tigers to pull their starting pitcher Lee Min-woo after only recording two outs. With seven runs being scored on him, he was given the loss for the game. The game made his 2020 record a negative 6-9.
The Giants scored one run in the second inning, as a hit from Lee Byung-kyu drove home a runner.
Lee, along with Lee Dae-ho, Jeon Jun-woo and Han Dong-hee, were the players awarded RBIs for the runs in the third inning which took the game to a 14-0 score.
The second pitcher for the Tigers, Ko Young-Chang, was pulled after allowing seven runs.
Kim Ki-hoon was able to play the rest of the game for the Tigers, playing six-and-one-third innings.
Giants starter Lee Seung-heon was given the win for his five-inning performance. The win was his first of the season, making his record 1-1 through three starts.
Tigers Put Down Three
The sole runs for the Tigers came in the third inning, as loaded bases allowed the team to score runs. Ground balls from Choi Won-joon and Kim Sun-bin both resulted in outs, although a runner got home in both plays. A hit from Na Ji-wan later in the inning scored their third run, moving the game to a 14-3 score.
Insurance Runs Added By Giants
A ground ball in the fourth inning allowed the Giants to get another run home.
The Giants scored their 16th run in the eighth inning, as pinch hitter Kang Dong-kwan hit a solo home run, his first of the season after six games.
Giants To Play Tigers For Last Time on Sunday
The Giants will play the Tigers again on Sunday, with the first pitch being scheduled for 2:00PM KST (1:00AM EDT). The game will be the last between the teams in the 2020 KBO season.
Around The KBO
Lead by starting pitcher Raul Alcantara, who pitched seven innings, the Doosan Bears won a shutout 3-0 game against the Kiwoom Heroes.
The LG Twins got ahead in a tie game in the ninth inning, as hits from Oh Ji-hwan and Yang Suk-hwan scored two runs to give the team a 3-1 win over the KT Wiz.
Scoring six runs late, the Samsung Lions gained an 8-2 lead to defeat the SK Wyverns.
The top-ranked KBO team, the NC Dinos, won a lopsided 13-1 game against the last-place Hanhwa Eagles on Saturday.
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