11th Inning Balk Earns Eagles 5-4 Victory Over Giants

A balk in the 11th inning of play from Lotte Giants pitcher Kim Dae-woo gave the deciding run to the Hanhwa Eagles, finishing the game with a score of 5-4.

The final scoring play stopped late momentum that the Giants earned in the game which allowed them to tie it up and go into extra innings.

The Eagles wrapped up the series with two wins over the Giants, who took the Saturday game at Hanhwa Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, Korea.

Lee Seung-heon Injured Early

Giants starter Lee Seung-heon had to be removed in the third inning after taking a line drive to the head. Down for several minutes, Seung-heon was stretchered off the field. Later, a scan revealed a “slight forehead fracture,” per Daniel Kim.

Replacing the injured starter, Song Seung-jun entered the third inning with bases loaded and one out. Hits from Ha Ju-suk and Lee Seung-yeol allowed the team to get up by three runs before the inning concluded.

An inning later, Kim Hoe-sung was able to bring home another run, making the game 4-0.

Giants Mount Comeback

The Giants started to mount a comeback in the fifth, with Dixon Machado sending a solo home run into left field, his fourth of the year.

Eagles starter Kim Min-woo was taken out of the game after seven innings, giving up only two hits.

Much later in the eighth inning, Jeon Jun-woo launched a ball into left field for a two-run home run. The Giants veteran got his fourth of the season, bringing the lead to one run for the Eagles.

Joining the party of home runs, Han Dong-hee tied up the game in the ninth with a solo shot.

Balk Causes End To Game

When Kim Dae-ho was pitching with two outs and a man on third in the 11th, he balked while throwing the third pitch against Jung Jin-ho. After some debate, it was ruled that Jang Woon-ho would score from third, ending the game.

Giants To Meet Tigers and Heroes For The First Time In 2020

The Giants finish their second week of play with a record of 7-4, putting them in a three-way tie for second in the league. They went 2-4 this week, playing a flawless 5-0 the week before.

Next week, the Giants are set to play a series against the Kia Tigers (5-7) and the Kiwoom Heroes (7-5). The first game of the week kicks off at 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT) on Tuesday at the Gwangju Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, Korea.

Around The KBO

The Kiwoom Heroes finished their series with the LG Twins with a win, defeating the home team 9-4. Heroes starter Eric Jokisch kept the Twins to two hits during his six-inning performance.

Sweeping their series, the KT Wiz defeated the Samsung Lions 9-2. In his third appearance this season, Wiz starter Odrisaimer Despaigne got his first win of the season. Lions starter Ben Lively left the game early after a hand injury.

Although the Kia Tigers gained momentum in the ninth inning, it wasn’t enough to defeat the Doosan Bears, who won 6-4.

With strong batting throughout the game, the NC Dinos beat the SK Wyverns 11-5. The Dinos won all six of their games this week and now sit atop the KBO standings with a 10-1 record.

Giants Cruise To 5-1 Victory Over Eagles

The Lotte Giants won a low scoring game against the Hanhwa Eagles on Saturday afternoon with a final score of 5-1. The win, which came at the Hanhwa Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, Korea, tied the series up at one game for each team.

Both Teams Bring One Home

The Giants got up by one run in the second when a hit from Kim Joon-tae took Dixon Machado home. Not starting most games, Joon-tae earned his first hit and RBI in the 2020 season in this play.

Answering back in the third, Eagles player Jung Eun-won was able to score while Giants defence caught a runner stuck between first and second base.

Giants starter Noh Kyung-eun earned his first win of the season, being pulled after six innings, allowing eight hits and one run.

Appearances from five relievers from the Giants bullpen helped limit the Eagles to two hits over three innings.

Giants Take Lead

Giants regained the lead in the fifth with Lee Dae-ho driving Son Ah-seop home to make the game 2-1.

Warwick Staupold, who is in his second season with the Eagles, finished the game after the seventh inning, allowing two runs and eight hits, giving him the loss for the game.

Staupold had a strong opening day start, pitching a nine-inning shutout against the SK Wyverns.

Insurance Runs For Giants

The lead was extended past what was needed in the later innings of the game. Against Kim Jin-young, Han Dong-hee was able to bring An Chi-hong into home plate.

Two more runs came in the ninth inning. First, a hit from Jeon Jun-woo allowed Min Byung-hun to score.

Heo Il was in the Giants starting lineup for the first time this season, playing right field and going one for five in the evening. Another run came later, where Jeon Jun-woo was allowed home off of an error where Eagles third baseman Oh Sun-jin got in his way.

Tied In Standings, Tied In Series

After this game, both teams see themselves tied with fellow KBO teams. Competing for second, the Giants are tied with the LG Twins with a record of 7-3 each. Lower on the standings, Eagles are tied with the Samsung Lions for seventh, both holding a 4-7 record.

The Giants and Eagles are tied 1-1 going into their final game in the series. The game is set to kick off at 2:00PM KST (1:00AM EDT) on Sunday.

Around The KBO

After Kim Tae-hoon kept the NC Dinos to only two hits in seven innings, reliever Kim Ju-on gave up the deciding two runs to make the SK Wyverns drop 2-1.

Getting up by seven runs before their opponent scored, the Kia Tigers had a pretty relaxed 13-4 win on Saturday against the Doosan Bears.

A quick start from the KT Wiz allowed them to get a 10-4 victory over the Samsung Lions. They look for a sweep of the series tomorrow.

Making up for the rained out game on Friday, the LG Twins picked up a 3-1 and 5-3 win against the Kiwoom Heroes.

Low Scoring Game Favours Eagles Over Giants

A low-scoring battle on Friday saw the Hanhwa Eagles defeat the Lotte Giants at home. The 2-1 victory had both teams limited to eight hits each, with a fifth inning rally allowing the Eagles to take the lead.

Starting their second series in a row at home, the Eagles won the game at the Hanhwa Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, Korea.

Giants Get Up By One

The Giants got ahead quick, scoring a run in the first inning after Jung Hoon brought An Chi-hong home off of a hit to center.

After six innings of pitching for the Eagles, Kim Ee-hwan was taken out of the game. Keeping the Giants at one run, Ee-hwan gave up seven hits.

Eagles Take The Lead

After going scoreless for the first four innings, a double from Ha Ju-suk allowed Jung Jin-ho to go from second to home. Starter for the Giants, Dan Straily, was taken from the game after, finishing with four strikeouts and seven hits.

With reliever Jin Myung-ho on the mound, Eagles batter Lee Sung-yeol batted in a second run before the inning ended.

The relieving performances from both teams were strong, with only one hit being tallied for either side.

A Look At The Standings

With the win, the Eagles earned their fourth win of the year, now at a record of 4-6, putting them in a three-way-tie for sixth place. The Giants, who have went 1-3 this week after a stellar 5-0 first week of play, are in a three-way-tie for third place in the KBO with a 6-3 record.

The three-game series sees it’s second game on Saturday with a start time of 1:00PM KST (2:00AM EDT).

Around The KBO

After scoring in almost every inning before, an eight-run performance from the KT Wiz in the seventh inning put the game out of reach for the Samsung Lions. The Wiz walked away with a 14-6 win.

A dominating performance from the Doosan Bears saw them beat the Kia Tigers 13-4.

On top of the KBO standings, the NC Dinos advanced their record to 8-1 on Friday after a four-run performance in the 10th inning gave them a 6-2 win over the SK Wyverns. The Wyverns have only won once in the 2020 season.

A game between the Kiwoom Heroes and hosting LG Twins was rained out.

Bears Hand Giants Second Loss, Ending Series At 1-2

The Doosan Bears finished their series against the Lotte Giants with a win on Thursday, beating the home team 7-4. The win makes them win the series 2-1, bouncing back from a loss in the previous game.

While the game was even after four innings, the Bears pulled ahead in later innings, including a seventh inning which sealed their win, including a home run from Oh Jae-il. The game wrapped up the week-long homestretch for the Giants at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.

An Early Tied Game

In the first pitch against the Giants, Min Byung-hun blasted a home run into left field. The solo shot was his second of the year and his second game in a row. Later that inning, a hit from An Chi-hong brought home a second run to make a lead of 2-0.

The Bears were able to answer back in the second inning. The first play came off of a defensive mishap, where the Giants third baseman Han Dong-hee failed to tag a runner and first baseman Lee Dae-ho did not catch the ball.

The second run for the Bears came later in the inning with Chung Sang-ho batting in Kim Jae-ho.

Bears Pull Ahead

Taking the lead for the first time in the game, Bears Oh Jae-il batted in Park Kun-woo in the fifth inning. Park Se-woong, who started for the Giants, was given the loss for the game after pitching five innings.

Chris Flexen, who was the starter for the Bears, got his second win of the season after allowing six hits through six innings. He finished his appearance by pitching out of a jam, with no outs and a runner on third and first.

The lead was extended in the seventh after a two-run shot from Oh Jae-il against pitcher Ko Hyo-jun. Later in the inning, Hur Kyoung-min brought in another run.

In the seventh inning, a home run from Jose Miguel Fernandez put the Bears up 7-2.

Slightly lessening the lead, Giants scored two runs in the eighth. First, a ball hit off the right field wall from An Chi-hong brought Kim Dong-han home. After, a fly ball hit from Dixon Machado brought in Lee Dae-ho. With that play, Machado earned an RBI for the fifth game in a row.

On The Road To Daejeon

The Giants start a three-game series versus the Hanhwa Eagles tomorrow at the Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, South Korea. The Eagles currently have a 3-6 record, going 1-2 in their recent series against Kia Tigers.

The game is set to start at 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT), however early forecasts predict rain could affect the game.

Around The KBO

A low scoring 1-0 game allowed the NC Dinos to sweep their series against the KT Wiz. With the win, the Dinos took first place in the KBO.

A rally in the first inning for the Hanhwa Eagles allowed them to cruise to a 4-1 win against the Kia Tigers. The Eagles bounced back with the win, losing the two previous games in the series.

Pinch hitter Jeong Keun-woo was able to get the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth for the LG Twins, batting in Oh Ji-hwan to make the final score 3-2 against the SK Wyverns.

Min Byung-hun Earns Giants Walk-Off Win Over Bears

After a back and forth game, a solo home run from Min Byung-hun gave the Lotte Giants a 10-9 win against the Doosan Bears. The win, which came at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea, is a bounce back from yesterday’s game, the first time the Giants lost in the season.

The momentum between the two teams swayed throughout, as the game saw many lead changes.

2-2 To Start

The Bears got to scoring first, with Kim Jae-hwan drilling a two-run shot into the stands, making it the third game in a row he’s hit a home run. He also has a seven-game streak of RBIs currently.

The Giants were able to answer back within the same inning with a rally. It started with a wild pitch taking Jeon Jun-woo home from second, as the ball cruised to the very back of the area behind the plate. After, Lee Dae-ho got a single that drove Son Ah-seop in from third.

Bears Build Lead

A preliminary lead was gained by the Bears in the second inning after Park Se-hyuk scored off of a ground ball.

The lead was extended by two more in the third. First, a hit from Oh Jae-won brought in a runner. A ground ball from Park Se-hyuk took Jae-won home later in the inning.

Giants Grab Lead

Despite getting two outs early in the fifth inning, the Giants had a strong batting rally in the round. With bases loaded, An Chi-hong was walked, bringing home Jung Bo-geun.

Dixon Machado stepped up next, batting in two runners and tying the game up at 5-5.

Both starters, Bears’ Lee Young-ha and Giants’ Seo Jun-won were pulled after the fifth inning.

The runs continued for the home team in the sixth, with Son Ah-seop hitting a ball into right field that took two runs home.

Lead Changes Again… And Again

The Bears regained the lead in the seventh when pinch hitter Choi Joo-hwan earned a three-run home run, dinging it off of the right field foul pole to make the game 8-7.

The Giants tied with a triple from Lee Dae-ho, batting in a run in the process. The second runner on base, Son Ah-seop, was caught at home. A single from An Chi-hong allowed a runner to score later, taking the lead to 9-8 for the Giants.

Late Game Home Run Battle

Leading off the top of the ninth, Oh Jae-il drilled a ball deep into the right field grandstands to make the game an even 9-9. Closer Kim Won-joong finished the inning, being awarded his first win of the season.

The game-winning home run from Min Byung-hun came against Lee Hyung-bum, who was given the loss of the game.

Tied After Two

Now at a 6-1 record, the Giants are tied for first in the KBO with the NC Dinos. The win ties the three-game series with the Dinos at 1-1. The final game of the series takes place on Thursday with a start time of 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).

Around The KBO

After David Buchanan pitched eight innings allowing only two hits, the Samsung Lions went on to win a shutout 5-0 game over the Kiwoom Heroes.

The bats got busy early for the LG Twins, who defeated the SK Wyverns 14-2.

After getting the lead early in the game, strong late-inning pitching from the Kia Tigers (which was matched) allowed them to cruise to a 4-3 win against the Hanhwa Eagles.

A 4-4 game went to the 10th inning between the KT Wiz and NC Dinos, with pinch hitter Kang Jin-sung batting in the game-winning run for the Dinos.

Early Inning Troubles Against Bears Give Giants First Loss

After a rough starting performance from Lotte Giants pitcher Jang Won-sam, the Doosan Bears continued to add onto the score of what would finish as a 11-6 win on Tuesday. The hit-heavy game took place at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.

The game marks the first loss for the Giants, who had went 5-0 in the previous week, facing the KT Wiz and SK Wyverns. The game saw the teams score 35 hits in total.

The Bears Get Ahead By Five

The Bears had a quick start, earning five runs over two innings against Giants starter Jang Won-sam. The first run came in the the first, where a single from Kim Jae-hwan brought Jose Miguel Fernandez home.

A rally of hits in the second brought in four more runs. First, a hit off the wall in center from Jung Soo-bin brought in Park Se-hyuk from third base. When Fernandez got to the plate again he hit a double that brought two more runs in. The next play saw a hit from Oh Jae-il bring Fernandez in to make the lead 5-0.

After allowing 10 hits and five runs, Won-sam was pulled after the third inning.

Giants Answer Back

The Giants scored some runs of their own in the third inning. It started with a ground ball from Shin Bon-gi which allowed Jeon Jun-woo to advance from third.

Son Ah-seop came around from second to home after a double from An Chi-hong.

Jae-hwan Goes Deep

Matched against Giants reliever Song Seung-jun in the fourth inning, Kim Jae-hwan hit a two-run home run to make the Bears lead 7-2. The home run was his third of the season, and the second game in a row he’s gotten one past the wall.

Lead Shortened By Giants

Two more runs came in favour of the Giants in the fifth inning. Jung Hoon hit a ball into center that allowed Shin Bon-gin the chance to score.

The next batter, Dixon Machado, was able to bring home An Chi-hong off of a hit to left field. The play earned Machado his ninth RBI of the season.

After the Giants scored two more runs in the fifth, Bears starter Raul Alcantara was taken out of the game. While being awarded the win, Alcantara allowed 12 hits and four runs.

Bringing the game to within two runs, Jeon Jun-woo nailed a ball into the right field in the sixth. The solo shot was his third of the season, this time earned against reliever Yoon Myung-jun.

Back Out of Reach

Three runs earned by the Bears in the seventh brought the game out of reach for the Giants. After Kim Jae-hwan batted in a run, Oh Jae-won hit a two-run homerun to make the score 10-5. The runs came against Koo Seung-min, who finished the inning after.

Both teams scored a run in the ninth inning. With bases loaded, Bears pinch hitter Kim In-tae got a hit, scoring Kim Jae-hwan.

A ground ball sent Giants right fielder Son Ah-seop to the plate once again, making the final score of the game 11-5 for the Bears.

Looking Ahead

The Bears, defending Korean Series Champions, will play the Giants again two more times in the series. The Wednesday game is scheduled to happen at 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).

Around The KBO

In a low scoring battle, the Kiwoom Heroes beat the Samsung Lions 3-2. Moving their record to 6-1, the Heroes now hold first place in the KBO.

While Hanhwa Eagles pitcher Kim Min-woo was able to limit the Kia Tigers to one hit in seven innings, scoring plays against relievers in the late innings allowed the Tigers to get a 2-1 victory.

Racking up eight runs in the first four innings, the LG Twins coasted to a safe 9-5 victory against the SK Wyverns.

After a 6-6 game brought the KT Wiz and NC Dinos into extra innings, a solo home run from Park Suk-min allowed the Dinos to take a 7-6 win at home.

Hot Bats and Late Starts: The Lotte Giants’ Patterns In Success

To start the 2019 season, the Lotte Giants had a 2-4 record after their first week of baseball. Among the losses was a 23-4 loss to the Samsung Lions. This year, the team has started perfectly at 5-0 in their first week, something no other team could do.

With success has come a few patterns that indicate where the team could do much better and where they the strongest.

Three Patterns In The Lotte Giants

Losing? Maybe Warming Up: Late Bats

In almost all of their wins throughout the week, the Giants didn’t open up too much with scoring until late in the game.

In their five games so far, 64.7 percent of runs scored by the Giants came in innings seven to nine.

Their opponents led 16 innings over five games, with the Giants leading 15 (nine of them coming from their Wednesday game with the Wiz, the only game that broke the pattern displayed all week). The Giants have taken a while to get on the board in almost all games, however, that’s seemingly been working for them.

Giants fans may have to become accustomed to watching games start to finish and not tuning out early or coming to early conclusions about how the games will go.

Starting Rotation Yet To Shine

While the offence has matched and bested what has countered it in every game thus far, the Giants need to stop the momentum of teams earlier. The early inning pitching and defence from the team has caused the need for catch-up victories. The pitching has been good for the most part, although it clearly needs fine-tuning.

Two names from the bullpen have been the most visible so far: starter Dan Straily and closer Kim Won-joong.

While having the benefit of starting two games already, a thing most pitchers didn’t get in week one, Straily has put on two impressive performances, allowing six hits through 12.2 innings and getting 15 strikeouts. His pitching performance on opening night was paired against the equally impressive work done by Odrisamer Despaigne of the KT Wiz, who allowed only four runs through six innings.

Closer Kim Won-joong has appeared three times, shutting down batters all three times. Out of the nine outs he’s been present for, three of them have been strikeouts. The consistency from Won-joong, along with a pretty solid bullpen in late innings, has been a large factor to the turning of tides that happen late in most games.

Dixon Machado Steals The Show

It would be criminal to mention the hot bats of the Giants and not mention the work Dixon Machado has been putting on.

Already attaining eight RBIs including three home runs, Machado has earned a quick residency in the nightly highlight reel. Machado has been equally impressive at shortstop, earlier in the week doing leaps or borderline-splits for an out.

Formerly in the American minor leagues, Machado has needed no time to warm up to baseball in Korea.

No Comfort In Top Placing

While the first-place ranking of the Giants is worth mentioning, it’s nothing to hold dear and close. The 5-1 Kiwoom Heroes sit only half a game behind, and a full game behind is the NC Dinos with a 4-1 record.

The strong first week could definitely be a sign of something. It could be a sign that the team has improved largely since last year. But, it could also be a strong start and nothing more. Only time will tell whether the perfect first five appearances will be gawked at as a false hope or a sign of a shift in the league’s power.

On Tuesday, the Giants welcome their biggest challenge yet, defending Korean Series Champions, the Doosan Bears. The Bears have opened the season with a 3-2 record, most recently beating the KT Wiz 13-12.

Giants Earn Shutout Win Over Wyverns, Remaining Undefeated

The Lotte Giants finished the first week of play with a 5-0 record, beating the SK Wyverns on Sunday with a shutout 4-0 performance. The win left them as the last undefeated team in the league, putting them atop the KBO standings.

The Giants earned the win during the afternoon at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.

Straily Holds Off Wyverns

Along with a seventh-inning rally that put the Giants on the board, the team saw a strong performance from starter Dan Straily who got his first win of the season. Straily held the Wyverns to three hits over seven innings, getting 11 strikeouts along the way.

This game was the second appearance of the season for Straily, who started on Tuesday for the club’s season opener.

Deciding Seventh Inning

A strong seventh inning saw the Giants bring home four runs. Wyverns starter Kim Tae-hoon was pulled after he walked the first two batters of the inning. He put up strong numbers in earlier innings, allowing only two hits.

Reliever Seo Jin-yong was brought in with no outs and two on base. An Chi-hong grounded out, allowing Son Ah-seop to come in from third and score the first run of the game.

The next batter, Jung Hoon, knocked a ball into center, allowing Lee Dae-ho to go from second base to home, making the score 2-0.

Dixon Machado finished the scoring party with his third home run of the season, bringing home Hoon as well to make it 4-0. Machado is currently tied with Preston Tucker of the LG Twins and Han Dong-min of the Wyverns for most home runs in the season.

Giants relievers Park Jin-hyung and Jin Myung-ho kept the Wyverns hitless for the final two innings.

A Preview of The Next Week

The Giants have their first day off tomorrow (not counting the rained out Saturday game which forced the team to not play) before another week of matchups. On Tuesday, the team kicks off a home series against the 2019 Korean Series Champions, the Doosan Bears.

On Friday, the team travels to Daejeon, South Korea for a three-game away series against the Hanhwa Eagles, who sit tied for third in the standings.

Around The KBO

Bouncing back from two one-sided losses before, the Kia Tigers got a 12-3 win over the Samsung Lions. The teams finish the first week of play tied for sixth.

A strong seventh inning let the Kiwoom Heroes move to a 6-3 lead and eventually win against the Hanhwa Eagles. The Heroes are second in the league with a 5-1 record, with the Eagles sitting in sixth.

The NC Dinos had an early six-run lead in the first inning, but the LG Twins mounted a comeback to eventually earn a 10-8 win. Placed fifth in the league, the Twins gave the Dinos their first loss of the season. The Dinos sit in third place currently.

After 24 runs, more than four hours of play and extra innings, an error in a ground ball allowed Hur Kyoung-min from the Doosan Bears to score a game-winning run over the KT Wiz. With a final score of 13-12, the Bears got their second win of the season, placed fourth in the league currently. The Wiz sit tied for last place with the Wyverns, only earning one win so far.

Game Between Giants and Wyverns Among Many Rained Out

The second game of the three-game series between the Lotte Giants and SK Wyverns was rained out on Saturday, at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea. The game was one of the many around the KBO that did not get played due to rain.

The game was set to be the second in the series between the teams, with the Giants winning the first game in extra innings the day before.

A Sunday game between the Giants and Wyverns is set to happen at 2:00PM KST (1:00AM EDT).

Other Cancelled Games

A matchup between the LG Twins and the hosting NC Dinos was also cancelled due to rain. The game was set to take place at the Changwon NC Park in Changwon, South Korea.

The third matchup which didn’t come to fruition was the Doosan Bears hosting the KT Wiz. The game, which was set to happen at the Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, did not happen.

Along with the Dinos, the Giants continue to lead the KBO season standings with a record of 4-0. They swept their opening series on the road against the Wiz.

Around The KBO

Two games did get to play last night without weather stopping them. With the benefit of a roof over their heads, the Kiwoom Heroes won 5-3 over the Hanhwa Eagles at the Gocheok Sky Dome.

After shutting out the Kia Tigers in the previous game, the Samsung Lions put on a dominating 14-2 win in the second game of the series.

Wild Pitch Gives Giants Extra Innings Win In Home Opener

The Lotte Giants won their home opener on Friday, going into extra innings against the SK Wyverns. A late start from the Giants, which has been a trend in their games lately, allowed the team to tie up a high scoring game and end it in the 10th inning.

A wild pitch was the deciding factor in the end, with An Chi-hong coming in from third to close the game out with a score of 9-8 in the 10th inning.

The win came without a crowd at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea. Four games into the season, the Giants have won all of their games thus far.

A Quick Start For Wyverns

Wyverns first got on the board in the second inning with a series of hits bringing in runs. It started with a hit to the left-center gap from Jung Hyun who brought home Kim Chang-pyung.

Hyun was brought in by Jeong Jin-gi, and a hit from Ko Jong-wook scored Jeong in for the third run, putting the team up 3-0 in total.

A solo homerun by Giants second baseman An Chi-hong in the bottom of the third shortened the lead to two.

Further Extending The Lead

Three-straight innings saw the Wyverns extend their lead by one run each time. In the fourth, Jeong Jin-gi got his second RBI of the game, bringing in Kim Chang-pyung.

The fifth inning saw Wyverns right fielder Han Dong-min get his third homerun of the year, this time being a solo shot to make the score 5-1.

Veteran Giants starter Noh Kyung-eun was pulled after the fifth inning, giving up nine hits and five runs.

A sacrifice fly from Jeong Jin-gi in the sixth brought in another run for the Wyverns.

Giants Close Gap, Tie Game

The bats of the Giants picked back up in the sixth, with a solo homerun from Jeon Jun-woo kicking off a rally.

Later that inning, Lee Dae-ho hit a ball into right field, allowing Son Ah-seop to make the trek from first all the way to home.

A hit from Dixon Machado brought home the third run of the inning for the Giants. Wyverns starter Moon Seung-won, who was starting his seventh year for the team, was pulled before the fifth ended. He finished with seven strikeouts, giving up nine hits and four runs.

After the Giants brought in reliever Park Shi-young, the seventh inning started with Wyverns third baseman Choi Jeong hitting a solo homerun into center. Later that inning, Jamie Romak was brought home off of a sacrifice fly from Han, bringing the game to a score of 8-4 for the Wyverns.

The Giants had another three-run inning in the seventh, starting with a sacrifice fly from Son bringing in Min. Only a pitch later, Lee took a ball into the right field grandstands for a two-run homerun, limiting the Wyverns to only one run.

Finally catching back up to the Wyverns in the eighth inning, Giants shortstop Dixon Machado hit his second homerun of the season.

Extra Innings Prove Successful For Giants

After a scoreless ninth, the game went into extra innings. Capitalizing on a wild pitch, An Chi-hong came home from third base and ended the game.

Kim Joo-han, who pitched in the 10th inning was given his first loss of the year. In the 2019 season, Joo-han appeared in 11 games for the Wyverns, finishing with an 5.25 ERA.

Koo Seung-min, a Giants reliever who pitched the 10th inning was awarded the win for the game, pitching a strikeout and leaving the inning without allowing a hit.

The second game in the three-game home series kicks off tomorrow at 5:00PM KST (4:00AM EDT), however, an early forecast of Busan predicts rain affecting the game.

Around The KBO

A three-run homerun from Oh Sun-jin in the seventh inning allowed the Kiwoom Heroes to finish with a 5-3 win over the Hanhwa Eagles.

Lead by Choi Chae-heung, a strong pitching performance from the Samsung Lions allowed the team to get a 5-0 shutout win against the Kia Tigers. The win is the first for the Lions this season.

A high-scoring matchup in favour of the KT Wiz quickly put a win out of the picture for the hosting Doosan Bears. The Wiz, who got swept in their home series with the Giants, walked away from this game with a 12-3 win.

In a real batter’s game, the home NC Dinos got a 13-5 win over the LG Twins. Along with the Giants, the Dinos are one of the only two teams that remain undefeated at 4-0.