A high-scoring game on Sunday saw the Lotte Giants pick up the victory over the Hanhwa Eagles, winning with a final score of 14-5. The win swept the three-game series for the Giants, who hosted it at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.
The game saw Giants player Oh Yoon-suk hit the cycle, including a crucial grand slam home run in the sixth inning which took the Giants’ lead from a fair one to a large one.
Large Sixth Inning Earns Giants Lead
The first two of many runs scored in the game came in the first inning, as a hit from Lee Byung-kyu took two runners home.
The Eagles responded in the second inning, as Park Jung-hyun drove home a run with a hit.
Moving the game back to a two-run lead in the second, Oh Yoon-suk drove home a run for the Giants.
After only two innings of play, Eagles starter Park Joo-hong was taken out of the game.
The biggest inning for the Giants was the sixth, where the team brought their lead up to eight runs. After hits from Han Dong-hee and Kim Joon-tae brought in a run each, Oh Yoon-suk hit a grand slam to make the game 9-1.
All of the runs came against Kim Jong-soo, who did not finish the inning.
Sampson Earns Win, Late Runs Scored From Both Teams
Giants starter Adrian Sampson was given the win for his five-inning performance. He was taken out of the game shortly after giving up a two-run home run in the fifth inning to Noh Si-hwan.
The Giants were quick to respond, as hits from Oh and Son Ah-seop both took home runners.
The teams traded a run each in the sixth inning.
After Jung Jin-ho scored a run for the Eagles, a hit from Oh gave the Giants their 12th run.
The final runs for the Giants happened in the seventh inning, as a hit from An Chi-hong and a sacrifice fly ball from Dixon Machado both took home a runner.
An infield single took home a runner for the Eagles late in the game, bringing the game to the final score of 14-5.
Giants Now Three-Games Behind Wild Card
The win for the Giants is their fourth-straight in the week. With a record of 63-58-1, the team is four-games behind the fifth-place wild card team, the Doosan Bears. The team has 12 more games left to play in their schedule.
Giants Set For Second-Last Week In Season
Next week will be the second-last week of play for the Giants in the KBO season. The week for the team starts on Tuesday, with the Giants playing a three-game series against the KT Wiz.
After playing a trio of games in Suwon, the Giants will head back home for a three-game series, hosting the Samsung Lions through the weekend.
Around The KBO
The Doosan Bears got a lead early, scoring four runs in the first two innings. The team went on to defeat the Kia Tigers 7-1.
Putting down seven runs late, the LG Twins took a 13-8 win over the KT Wiz.
Earning their fifth win of the week, the NC Dinos defeated the Samsung Lions 4-1 on Sunday.
The SK Wyverns got ahead in a scoreless game in the sixth inning, putting together six runs to defeat the Kiwoom Heroes 6-0. Wyverns starter Moon Seung-won pitched seven scoreless innings for a win.