The Kia Tigers and hosting Lotte Giants won a game each in their doubleheader of matches on Friday. Their three-game series, which also saw the Tigers win on Thursday, took place at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.

The afternoon game saw the Tigers win, with a solo home run late in the game giving the team 6-3 lead that wasn’t responded to by the Giants.

The evening matchup was a win for the Giants, with the home team winning 9-7, being able to answer back from late scoring attempts by the Tigers.

Home Run From Choi Gives Tigers Afternoon Win

The first run of the afternoon game came in early, as a ground ball from Tigers player Na Ji-wan drove home a runner. Another ground out scored a run in the fifth inning, this time coming off the bat of Preston Tucker.

Pinch hitter Choi Won-joon scored a run an inning later, hitting a ball into the outfield to make the game 3-0 for the Tigers. Despite starter Seo Jun-won being taken out of the game, the run was scored against him as he allowed runner Na Ji-wan to get on base.

The Giants battled back in the seventh and eighth inning, scoring runs in each. The seventh saw the end of Tigers starting pitcher Yang Hyun-jong’s run, as he was taken out of play after loading up the bases.

Relievers Hong Sang-sam and Lee Joon-young were able to share the rest of the inning, although they both walked home a run. In the eighth inning, a sacrifice fly from Lee Dae-ho tied up the game. The run was scored against Jung Hae-young.

The Tigers took the game in the ninth, as Choi Hyung-woo hit a three-run home run against closer Kim Won-joong. Due to the play, the game’s loss was given to Kim.

Jang Hyun-shik was given the win for the game after earning three outs in the eighth. A closing performance from Jeong Sang-hyun gave the Tigers pitcher his 11th save of the season.

Giants Hold On For Late Night Victory

While the Giants held the lead for most of the evening game, it was the Tigers who scored first. In the first inning, a hit from Choi Hyun-woo drove home a run.

In the second inning, the Giants tied up the game. Shin Bon-gi drove home a run to tie it up. An inning later, another run came in off of a ground ball from Heo Il.

Shin put down two more RBIs in the sixth inning, driving home two runs. This caused the end of starting pitcher Im Ki-young’s run in the game. Reliever Kim Myung-chan came in, although against the next batter, Lee Byung-kyu, he gave up a two-run home run to make the game 6-1.

Im was handed a loss for the game, moving his 2020 record to 6-8. Im’s record has moved into the negatives in the past two months due to a slump in his performance. His last win came in late July, and since then he has been given four losses through five appearances.

Giants pitcher Dan Straily was taken out of play after seven innings of work. Allowing four hits and one run, Straily also earned six strikeouts, moving his 2020 count to a league leading toll of 144. Straily’s 2020 record is now 10-4, making him the sixth pitcher in the KBO to reach double digits of wins.

The Tigers had a late push of runs in the eighth inning. Against releiver Koo Seung-min, a hit from Preston Tucker and a two-run home run from Choi Hyung-woo made the game 6-5. The home run for Choi ended a strong three-game series from him which saw a home run in each appearance.

Park Jin-hyung repalced Koo in the eighth, earning three outs and ending the inning without allowing any more runs.

Extending their lead, the Giants brought in three runs in the eighth inning. Their scoring started early, as a solo home run from Lee Dae-ho kicked off the inning against reliever Jang Hyun-shik.

Hits from Shin Bon-gi and Jung Hoon against Nam Jae-hyun later in the inning made the game 9-5.

Not being able to take back the game, the Tigers were able to score two runs late. Tucker, who drove home two runs in the eighth, took in two more with a hit against Giants closer Kim Won-joong, who had also played in the afternoon game.

Tigers Keep Lead Over Giants Following Series

Close in the standings, the three-game series between the Tigers and Giants ends with the Tigers one-and-a-half games ahead of the Giants for sixth in the KBO.

The Giants will stay home for their Saturday and Sunday games, playing the LG Twins for a series. Having played them six times this year, the Giants are tied 3-3 with the Twins in 2020.

The first pitch for Saturday’s KBO games is set for 5:00PM KST (4:00AM EDT).

Around The KBO

Sweeping a three-game series against the SK Wyverns, the KT Wiz won a doubleheader on Friday with scores of 10-2 and 7-5.

Lead by their starting pitcher, Kim Min-woo, who earned seven strikeouts in his six-inning performance, the Hanwha Eagles defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 7-1.

Consistent scoring for the Samsung Lions gave them a 12-5 win over the 2019 KBO Champions, the Doosan Bears on Friday.

After five hours and 18 minutes of play, the longest a game has gone in the 2020 KBO season so far, the NC Dinos and LG Twins tied 5-5.

Early runs earned the Kia Tigers a win on Thursday, defeating the Lotte Giants 4-3. The team secured four runs in the first three innings, holding onto the lead to defeat the hosting Giants at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.

The win was the third consecutive for the Tigers this week. Their streak of wins has allowed them to overtake the Giants for sixth in the KBO. Following their Thursday win, the Tigers sit one-and-a-half games ahead of the Giants in the standings.

Noh Gives Up Four Runs In Appearance

Giants starter Noh Kyung-eun was pulled in the sixth inning, with his appearance giving him his sixth loss of the season. The veteran starter recorded six strikeouts in his stint. Noh allowed all of the runs that the Tigers scored in the game.

The first run was driven in by Choi Hyung-woo, who hit a solo home run in the first inning. Choi earned his 13th home run of the season, doing so while wearing a facemask, something that has been seen often in the MLB but not so much in the KBO.

Another home run came an inning later, this time coming off of the bat of Kim Min-sik.

The final runs for the Tigers came in the third inning, as hits from Choi Hyung-woo and Yoo Min-sang scored a run each, taking the game to a 4-0 score.

Giants Shorten Lead

The Giants kicked off their scoring in the fourth inning, recording two runs and narrowing the lead that the Tigers had. The runs were taken home by Han Dong-hee, who drove home two runners off of a hit into the outfield.

The final run for the Giants came much later in the game, with Jeon Jun-woo hitting a ball into the outfield, allowing Son Ah-seop to get home.

Gagnon Records Eighth Win

Tigers starter Drew Gagnon had a strong performance in the game, allowing two runs before being pulled after the seventh inning. Being awarded the win for the game, Gagnon moved his 2020 record to 8-5, making himself the third pitcher in the club to reach eight wins.

The ninth-inning performance from Jeon Sang-hyun earned the Tigers closer his 10th save of the season.

Tigers and Giants Prepare For Doubleheader

Making up for a cancelled game from earlier in the season, the Tigers and Giants will play a doubleheader of games on Friday. The first game is set to happen at 3:00PM KST (2:00AM EDT), with the second game happening set for 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).

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Scoring six runs in the first two innings, the KT Wiz held onto their lead to defeat the SK Wyverns 6-2.

The LG Twins made an eighth-inning comeback, as a three-run home run from Park Yong-taik gave the team a 6-5 win over the NC Dinos.

A high-scoring, back-and-forth game went to the Samsung Lions on Thursday, after hits from Koo Ja-wook and Daniel Palka gave the team their lead back, defeating the Doosan Bears 11-10.

Scoring six runs against starter Chad Bell, the Kiwoom Heroes earned a 6-5 win against the Hanhwa Eagles on Thursday.

The Lotte Giants finished their week with a shutout 8-0 win over the Kia Tigers on Sunday. The win saw the team have two heavy-hitting innings, including one where six runs were scored. The win was the second-in-a-row for the team at their home field, the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.

Noh Has Best 2020 Appearance

The win gave starting pitcher Noh Kyung-eun his best performance of the year. Playing seven innings, something that he had only done once before in the season, Noh allowed zero runs in his performance for the first time in 2020. The veteran pitcher lowered his ERA to a 5.12 on the season following the win, which moved his 2020 record to 4-3.

Giants Earn Eight

The Giants gained a lead early, scoring two runs in the third inning. The runs came off of a hit from Lee Dae-ho, who took home Son Ah-seop and Jung Hoon.

A nightmarish fifth inning for the Tigers moved the Giants to a comfortable eight-run lead. Starting Tigers pitcher Drew Gagnon started the inning but was pulled after facing five batters, giving up two runs in the process.

With reliever Ko Young-chang coming in, the Giants scored four more runs off of four separate at-bats. After 11 batters, the Tigers ended the inning with an 8-0 score.

Gagnon was given the loss for his starting performance, making it his first loss since late May. Gagnon’s 2020 record is currently 6-4.

Giants End Homestand as Tigers Open Their Own

The Giants finished the week of play seventh in the KBO, evening their record at 35-35. They will resume play on Tuesday, starting a three-game series against the SK Wyverns, who they’ve went 3-3 against this season. On the weekend, the Giants will head to Seoul to face the 2019 KBO Champions, the Doosan Bears.

The Tigers will spend their next week at home in Gwangju, playing a three-game series against the LG Twins and the NC Dinos each. The series versus the Twins is an important one for the Tigers, as it gives them a chance to pass the team for fourth in the KBO. As it stands currently, the Twins are half-a-game ahead of the Tigers.

Around The KBO

A tie was broken in the 10th inning, as Kiwoom Heroes player Lee Jung-hoo batted in two runs to give the team a 4-2 win against the Samsung Lions.

Going into extra innings for the second-straight game, the Doosan Bears scored three runs in the 12th inning to defeat the NC Dinos 7-4.

Monday Games

Two rained out games on Sunday have been moved to Monday. The Hanhwa Eagles will face the LG Twins, and the SK Wyverns will battle with the KT Wiz while the rest of the KBO observes an off-day. Forecasts predict that rain could also intervene with play on Monday.

 

 

The Lotte Giants took a 7-3 win on Saturday over the Kia Tigers, continuing to score after the teams traded runs early on. The game tied up the Giants home series being played at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.

The win was the first for the Giants since the KBO started to allow live crowds last Sunday.

Giants and Tigers Take Turns

The Giants and Tigers traded blows in the early innings, going tit-for-tat in the opening two innings.

Both teams scored runs in the first inning. First was the away Tigers who scored after Preston Tucker drove home a run off of a hit. Leadoff batter Jung Hoon tied the game back up, hitting a solo home run to start the bottom of the first.

The Twins got ahead again in the second after a hit from Na Joo-hwan drove home a run. Persisting to keep the game close, a sacrifice fly from Giants player Shin Bon-gi tied the game up again later in the inning.

Giants Pull Ahead

A ball hit by Jeon Jun-woo bounced off the top of first-baseman Yoo Min-sang’s glove, going into right field. Ruled as a hit, the play drove home two runs for the Giants and made the game 4-2. The Tigers had trouble in the inning after as well, loading up the bases before ending the frame with a double play.

Another run was tallied for the Giants in the fifth after a throw over the glove of a first baseman allowed Jeon Jun-woo to get around to home.

Tigers starter Im Ki-young finished play after five innings, being given the loss for the runs that he gave up.

The first reliever to come in for the Tigers continued their troubles, as Moon Kyung-chan gave up a two-run home run from Son Ah-seop before getting the third out.

Giants Pitchers Given Decision

Pitching six innings, Giants starter Park Se-woong was given the win for the game. The decision moved Park to an even 5-5 2020 record, also balancing his ERA at 5.00.

A closing performance from Kim Won-joong earned him his 12th save of the season. The closer sits third in the KBO for most 2020 saves.

Game Causes Movement In Standings

Following their win on Saturday, the Giants moved up to seventh in the KBO. With a 34-35 record, the team surpassed the 35-37 Samsung Lions who lost their respective game on Saturday. The Tigers fell to fifth in the KBO, being overtaken by the LG Twins.

The Giants will host the Tigers one last time this week, with Sunday’s game starting at 5:00PM KST (4:00AM EDT).

Around The KBO

The KT Wiz won a shutout 11-0 game on Saturday against the SK Wyverns. The game gave So Hyeong-jun his first win in just under two months after being given four losses in his last six appearances.

A 8-8 game between the Doosan Bears and the NC Dinos went into extra innings, finishing with a 12-10 score in favour of the Bears. The Bears scored four at the top of the 10th, holding onto their lead despite giving up two runs after.

Finishing their game with a 15-run lead, the Kiwoom Heroes defeated the Samsung Lions 22-7. The Heroes will look for their sixth-consecutive win on Sunday in a streak which has shot them into second in the KBO.

The LG Twins got ahead early, scoring six runs in the first inning against Hanhwa Eagles starter Warwick Saupold. The Twins won the game 9-6 in the end.

The Lotte Giants lost a low-scoring 3-2 game against the Kia Tigers on Friday, bringing the team back to play after two rained out games earlier in the week at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.

The game saw two of the biggest pitchers from both franchises, as Aaron Brooks and Dan Straily battled.

Tigers starter Brooks had a marathon outing, pitching eight innings and throwing 105 pitches. Being given the win for the game, his 2020 record moved to 6-3.

Tigers Score Their Runs

The first run came early for the Tigers, as a double from Choi Hyun-woo drove home Lee Chang-jin, who was walked in his respective at-bat earlier.

Late in the performance of starting pitcher Straily, the Tigers were able to get two more runs on the board. A hit from Han Seung-taek scored two more runs, taking the game to a 3-0 score.

Giants Score, But Not Enough

The Giants answered back late in the game, although the team wasn’t able to muster up enough runs to tie up the game. First, a run came in during the seventh inning. A fielder’s choice against An Chi-hong took home Han Dong-hee, who scored a double earlier in the inning.

Tigers closer Jeon Sang-hyun had some trouble, facing six batters before ending the ninth inning. The third of the pack was Dixon Machado, who drove home Kim Dong-han to tighten the score to 3-2.

The Giants are scheduled to host two more games against the Tigers this weekend, with Saturday’s first pitch scheduled for 6:00PM KST (5:00AM EDT). Unlike the series against the Bears, it does not look like rain will prevent play.

Around The KBO

Hanhwa Eagles starter Jang Shi-hwan had a good game, pitching seven innings while only allowing one hit. His performance helped give the Eagles a close 2-1 win over the LG Twins.

The KT Wiz had trouble on Friday, as starter William Cuevas was pulled in the third inning due to dehydration. Despite the need for relievers early, the Wiz picked up a relatively easy win, defeating the SK Wyverns 11-1.

A fair lead topped off by a five-run ninth inning helped give the Kiwoom Heroes a 10-3 win against the Samsung Lions. Heroes newcomer Addison Russel had a strong game, earning two RBIs.

The NC Dinos had a late comeback against the Doosan Bears, putting on a six-run rally in the eighth to move to a 10-7 final score. With the loss, the Bears dropped to third in the KBO, giving the spot up to the Heroes.

Rain stopped play between the Lotte Giants and Kia Tigers for the second straight day on Thursday. Having their doubleheader rained out, the teams will go their separate ways for a new three-game series on Friday.

While most games got rained out on Wednesday, the game from the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, Korea was the only to be affected by the weather on Thursday.

The Giants and Tigers only got to play one game in their three-game series this week, with that matchup being a 4-3 win for the Giants.

The weekend series for the Giants sees them host a three-game series against the Samsung Lions. The Lions are currently tied for sixth in the KBO with a 22-22 record.

The Tigers will now travel to Seoul, Korea to play at the Gocheok Sky Dome in a three-game series against the Kiwoom Heroes. The Heroes are sitting third in the KBO currently, with the second and fourth teams both within half-a-game.

Around The KBO

Wednesday’s Games (First of Double Header on Thursday)

The only game that didn’t get rained out on Wednesday saw the Samsung Lions pick up a 9-2 victory over the Hanhwa Eagles. The Lions had a quick start, scoring eight runs over the first three innings over starter David Buchanan.

A three-run home run from Kim Hae-seong gave the Kiwoom Heroes the lead early, which went on to be a 5-2 victory over the LG Twins on Thursday afternoon.

Consistently scoring early in the game, the Doosan Bears had a safe 14-6 win to start their Thursday games against the SK Wyverns. In the second inning of the game, Wyverns manager Youm Kyoung-youb collapsed in the dugout. Reported by Yonhap News, Youm was transported to a hospital and has since become conscious yet again.

A two-run shot from Na Sung-bum in the first inning helped give the NC Dinos a 3-1 win against the KT Wiz on Thursday afternoon.

Thursday’s Games

Avoiding a sweep, the Hanhwa Eagles got a 9-2 win against the Samsung Lions on Thursday evening.

Following a low-scoring afternoon game, the KT Wiz had a hitting party, defeating the NC Dinos 19-6. The game included an eighth inning where the Wiz scored 10 innings.

The perfect combination of hot bats and strong pitching gave the SK Wyverns a shutout win over the Doosan Bears on Thursday evening with a final score of 7-0.

Coming back from trailing five runs, the Kiwoom Heroes battled back for a 8-5 win in the late innings to win over the LG Twins.

A walk-off hit from Kim Joon-tae gave the Lotte Giants a 4-3 victory on Tuesday over the Kia Tigers. The game saw the Giants come back from a three-run deficit that the Tigers earned early. The win kicked off the home series for the Giants at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, Korea.

A long and consistent performance from Tigers starter Aaron brooks made the only chance for the Giants to score come late in the game. The starter held the team off for seven innings, allowing only one hit in his appearance.

Tigers Get Ahead By Three

The game went scoreless for its first three innings, but that ended after Choi Hyung-woo hit a two-run home run to put the Tigers up 2-0 in the fourth. A third run was notched on in the sixth after a hit from Choi Hyung-woo scored a runner.

Giants starter Seo Jun-won was pulled in the sixth after earning one strikeout and allowing five hits. This was his second game this year against the Tigers, a better performance than his disastrous four-inning game in May where he gave up seven runs.

Walk-Off Gives Win To Giants

The first run for the Giants came in the eighth, as Kim Joon-tae was driven home by Son Ah-seop. The play came against the first of two relievers to play in the game for the Tigers, Jeon Sang-hyun.

Kicking off the scoring rally in the ninth inning, Dixon Machado batted home a run against Moon Kyung-chan to make the game 3-2. Kim Joon-tae scored the two final runs, ending the game. Reliever Moon was given the loss for the game, his first of the season after getting 10 saves over 17 appearances before.

Giants Trail Fifth-Place Tigers By Two Games

The Giants have struggled previously against the Tigers, being swept in their two meetings before to equal a 0-6 record.

This series is an interesting one for both teams due to their currently neighbouring KBO rankings of sixth and fifth place. The win on Tuesday brought the Giants to two games behind the fifth-ranked Tigers.

The Giants will host the Tigers for two more games at home this week. First pitch for Wednesday’s game is at 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT), although early forecasts predict rain will affect the game.

Around The KBO

In a battle of two of the league’s top pitchers, Drew Rucinski and the NC Dinos prevailed over Odrisaimer Despaigne and the KT Wiz with a score of 4-3.

Rookie pitcher Kim Yun-sik had a rough outing, giving up five runs to the Kiwoom Heroes who defeated the LG Twins 8-3.

A one-sided victory went in the way of the Doosan Bears, who defeated the SK Wyverns 9-2. A big week is ahead for the Bears as they face the first-place Dinos starting Friday.

A high-scoring game went to the Samsung Lions who defeated the Hanhwa Eagles 11-4. The Heroes made a mid-season roster change on Monday, signing former MLB player Brandon Barnes. The outfielder will take the foreign spot on the team from Jared Hoying, who was placed on waivers.