A strong two innings gave the Samsung Lions their win on Sunday, going on to defeat the Lotte Giants 8-4. The victory was the second from the Lions in their three-game series against the Giants hosted at the Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea.

The team gained their lead in the third inning, as a three-run home run was hit by Kang Min-ho. Later runs solidified the team’s lead.

Hits from Koo Ja-wook and Kim Dong-yeop totalled three more runs in the next inning. Giants starter Park Se-woong was pulled after the scoring plays, with his appearance in the game giving him a loss.

Lions starter Ben Lively played for five innings before being taken out of play. His appearance saw him give up three runs and seven hits while attaining four strikeouts.

Giants Hold Lead Early

The Giants held the lead for the first two innings after scoring early. Hits from both Jeon Jun-woo and Lee Byung-kyu took home runs in the opening inning.

The Lions scored later in the inning, as Lee Won-seok batted home a runner.

The Giants scored their third run in the third inning, as an infield single from Lee Dae-ho allowed a runner to reach home plate.

Lee Earns Home Run Late

A run came from each team late in the game. Lee scored another run for the Giants in the seventh, hitting a solo home run against reliever Shim Chang-min.

An inning later, Park Hae-min drove home a runner for the Lions to take the game to its final score of 8-4.

Giants Have Extremely Slim Odds In Making Wild Card

Finishing their week with a loss, the Giants now find themselves with an extremely slim chance of making the playoffs. With 11 games left in the season, the Giants are five-and-a-half games behind the wild card Doosan Bears.

The Giants will have their final full week of play starting on Tuesday, facing the two top teams in the league. Tuesday, the Giants will host a three-game series against the LG Twins.

The team will finish the week in Changwon, facing the top-ranked NC Dinos next weekend.

While next week is the scheduled end of the KBO season, the Giants will six more make-up games the following week. Their final scheduled game is on October 25th.

Around The KBO

A game between the NC Dinos and the LG Twins on Sunday was a tale of two different swings in momentum. As the Dinos took their fifth straight loss with the 7-3 game, the Twins won their sixth-in-a-row.

Needing 12 innings to find a winner, the SK Wyverns finally prevailed, putting down four runs to defeat the Kia Tigers 9-5.

Earning his third-straight win, Warwick Saupold lead the Hanhwa Eagles to a 9-3 win against the Kiwoom Heroes.

The KT Wiz got a walk-off win on Sunday, as a hit from Bae Jeong-dae took home a run in the 10th inning and gave the team a 5-4 win over the Doosan Bears.

A low-scoring 1-0 win went to the Lotte Giants on Saturday, who tied their three-game series against the Samsung Lions. The game was hosted by the Lions at the Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea.

The sole scoring play came from an error, as a ground ball fumbled by third-baseman Choi Young-jin allowed Han Dong-hee to get around from second base to home.

Starters Given Decision

The loss for the game went to David Buchanan, who pitched the first six innings of play. Despite the loss, Buchanan had a decent night on the mound, allowing four hits and one walk while recording six strikeouts.

Giants starter Lee Seung-heon earned a win for his seven-inning outing. Kim Won-joong was given the save for the game after playing the full ninth inning.

Lions Out of Playoff Contention

With their loss on Saturday, the Lions were officially mathematically taken out of a chance to make the 2020 playoffs. With a record of 56-71-3, the team is 14-and-a-half games behind the wild card spot.

The Giants have a chance to take sixth in the KBO with a win, currently half-a-game behind the Kia Tigers. More importantly, the Giants sit five-games behind the wild card Doosan Bears with just over a week left of play.

The Lions will host the Giants for the final time in 2020 on Sunday. The first pitch for the game is scheduled for 2:00PM KST (1:00AM EDT).

Around The KBO

The LG Twins won a doubleheader on Saturday, taking a 5-0 and 9-5 game each over the top-ranked NC Dinos.

A three-run rally in the third inning gave the Kiwoom Heroes a 3-0 win on Saturday, defeating the Hanhwa Eagles.

A high-scoring matchup saw the Doosan Bears defeat the KT Wiz 13-8 on Saturday.

A home run from Park Sung-han and a hit from Lee Jae-won gave the SK Wyverns two runs, allowing the team to defeat the Kia Tigers 2-1.

A grand slam home run by Kim Sang-su gave the Samsung Lions a walk-off win on Friday, defeating the Lotte Giants 7-3. The win for the Lions opened up a three-game series hosted at their home ballpark, the Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea.

The Lions had to battle back to tie up the game, as the Giants put down three runs in the first two innings of the game to take a lead. The game was tied by the seventh inning at 3-3.

Giants Score Early To Take Three-Run Lead

The first two runs for the Giants came in the first inning, with hits from Lee dae-ho and Lee Byung-kyu scoring a run each. An inning later, Son Ah-seop brought in a third run to put the team up by three.

All runs came against Lions starter Won Tae-in, who pitched six innings in total.

Lions Build Comeback

The Lions started to score in the third inning, taking in one run to chip away at the lead that the Giants had. Park Hae-min was scored with an RBI after batting home a run.

A solo home run from Kang Min-ho brought the game within a run in the sixth inning. Giants starter Adrian Sampson was pulled from the game after the inning.

The game was tied an inning later, with a hit from Kim Dong-yeop taking Kim Ji-chan home. The run was scored against reliever Koo Seung-min, who was able to finish the inning after.

Kim Given Loss

The game-deciding home run in the ninth came against Giants closer Kim Won-joong, giving him the loss for the game. On the other hand, the ninth-inning pitcher for the Lions, Oh Seung-hwan, was awarded the win for the game.

Giants Risk Falling Out of Wild Card Run With Final Games Ahead

Neighbouring each other on the rankings in eighth and seventh place respectively, the Lions and Giants are in a much similar position. With just over a week left in the season, both teams sit on the brink of being mathematically unable to make the playoffs.

Now with a record of 64-61-1, the Giants are five-games behind the wild card-ranked Doosan Bears, with the Kia Tigers also sitting in-between them.

The Lions will host the Giants twice more this week, playing games on Saturday and Sunday. Tomorrow’s game has a first pitch scheduled for 5:00PM KST (4:00AM EDT).

Around The KBO

Casey Kelly worked all nine innings for the LG Twins on Friday, allowing only two hits and leaving the NC Dinos scoreless in a 2-0 game.

A shutout win went to the Doosan Bears, who defeated the KT Wiz 4-0 on the road.

Tied after two innings at 3-3, two runs later in the game from the Kia Tigers game them a 5-3 win over the SK Wyverns.

After a hectic four innings had the Kiwoom Heroes and Hanhwa Eagles tied 6-6, a hit from Jung Jin-ho in the sixth inning drove home a deicing run to give the Eagles a 7-6 win.

A successful week for the Lotte Giants ended stress-free as the Busan-based team took a shutout 11-0 win over the Samsung Lions. The game won the two-game series for the Giants which was hosted by the Lions at the Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea.

Paired with a strong performance from the Giants’ pitching, the high-scoring win for the team was lead by veteran slugger Lee Dae-ho, who earned five RBIs in his appearance.

Lee Takes Many, Including Himself Twice, To Home

The scoring started for the Giants in the third inning. After a hit from Jung Hoon brought in one run, starting pitcher Choi Chae-heung was taken out of the game. Two batters later, Jang Ji-hoon gave up a grand slam to Lee Dae-ho.

The short performance from Choi gave him the loss, taking his 2020 record to 6-4 through 16 appearances.

Scoring his fifth run of the game, Lee scored a second home run in the sixth inning of the game. The run came against Lee Seung-hyun, the fifth pitcher to appear for the Lions in the game.

Late Runs For Giants

As rain started to pick up in the sixth inning the Giants continued to tack runs onto the board. The five-run rally started with a hit from Jeon Jun-woo which took hole two runners. After an error allowed a runner to get home in a play, Han Dong-hee hit a two-run home run to move the score to 11-0.

The game saw just under a 30-minute rain delay in the bottom of the seventh before they resumed.

Straily Earns Another Shutout Win

Earning his eighth win of the season was Dan Straily, who pitched for six innings before the Giants took him out of play. The win was the seventh shutout performance for Straily in 2020.

Earning six strikeouts, Straily moved his 2020 tally to a league-leading 127.

Giants To Play Next Week At Home

Seated sixth in the KBO, the Giants are currently one-and-a-half games behind the wild-card placed KT Wiz.

The Giants will meet three teams in the next week of KBO play. Tuesday and Wednesday will be the first two games, with the Giants hosting the SK Wyverns. Later in the week the Kiwoom Heroes and the Hanhwa Eagles will also visit Busan for games against the Giants.

The Giants continue to follow the KBO’s schedule, although worries are rising in the country of changes coming to the season due to spiking COVID-19 cases.

South Korea reported 397 new cases on Saturday, the highest daily toll since the KBO resumed their season back in May.

Around The KBO

While the LG Twins tried to battle back in the ninth inning and scored two runs, they weren’t able to catch up to the lead the Hanwha Eagles had, ending the game with a 4-3 score.

Getting their third consecutive win of the week, the Doosan Bears got an 8-1 victory over the SK Wyverns.

In an upset, the KT Wiz won 10-1 over the top-ranked NC Dinos. The Dinos could potentially lose their spot next week as the Kiwoom Heroes now sit only one game behind.

Late runs from the Kia Tigers gave them an 8-7 win over the Kiwoom Heroes.

The Lotte Giants moved up to sixth in the KBO on Saturday following a 5-3 win over the Samsung Lions. The win, which saw the Giants overtake the Kia Tigers in the standings, took place at the ballpark for the Lions, the Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea.

The Giants improved their record to 43-30-1 with the win, passing the Tigers who have a 44-42 record. The team now sits one-and-a-half games behind the KT Wiz, who hold the fifth and final spot into the KBO playoffs currently.

Starters Dictate Score

The game on Saturday was one that was decided off of the performances from both starting pitchers, as scoring did not happen past six innings of play.

Giants and Lions Trade Lead Early

The Lions took a short lead in the first inning, getting two runs in against Giants starting pitcher Seo Jun-won. After Koo Ja-wook took home a run off of a hit, a sacrifice fly from Kang Min-ho drove in another, making the game 2-0.

The Giants were quick to respond, regaining the lead in the second inning after a three-run home run from Shin Bon-gi.

Tying the game up, another hit from Lions player Koo brought in a run in the fifth inning. The fifth inning was the last for starter Seo, who was given his sixth win of the season for his performance.

In the final inning from Lions starter Won Tae-in, the Giants were able to score runs to take a lead that wouldn’t be battled back from. A fielder’s choice play off of a ground ball from Min Byung-hun and a hit from pinch hitter Oh Yoon-suk scored a run each, giving the Giants their 5-3 lead.

Being given the loss for the game, Won’s 2020 record is now 6-5.

Giants closer Kim Won-joong earned his 13th save of the season for his ninth-inning performance.

Giants Finish Week Against Lions

This week was the first of six that will see KBO teams play three two-games series’ in a week as opposed to two three-game series’. The Giants will wrap up their week of play on Sunday playing the Lions again.

The first pitch for Sunday’s game is set for 5:00PM KST (4:00AM EDT).

Around The KBO

A strong win went to the Doosan Bears on Saturday, who defeated the SK Wyverns 8-1.

The Kiwoom Heroes battled back from a three-run deficit on Saturday, as a hit from Kim Woong-bin and a three-run home run from Heo Jeong-hyeop game the team a 4-3 win over the Kia Tigers.

Two games were rained out on Saturday. In Seoul, a game between the Hanhwa Eagles and LG Twins was stopped due to rain. At Suwon, rain also prevented a matchup between the NC Dinos and the KT Wiz. Due to the rain issues, the teams will play on Sunday as well as on Monday.

A close pitching battle went the way of the Lotte Giants on Sunday, who defeated the Samsung Lions 2-1. The game saw the Giants bounce back from two previous losses to the Lions on the road at the Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea.

Buchanan Gets Loss After Eight Innings

While the loss for the game went to Lions starter David Buchanan, his performance was one that was impressive nonetheless. Pitching eight innings, Buchanan only allowed six hits while earning seven strikeouts.

It only took a few pitches to give the Giants their deciding runs, as the first inning saw Lee Dae-ho hammer the first pitch given to him for a two-run home run.

The game was the fourth time this season that Buchanan got seven or more strikeouts, and was the second time he played eight or more innings.

Straily Earns Third Consecutive Win

Giants starter Dan Straily put on a similarily successful performance, being given the win after pitching six innings. Only allowing a run and four hits, Straily got six strikeouts in the game. Straily continues to battle for first place in the KBO for strikeouts, trailing first-place Koo Chang-mo by three strikeouts (92 in total) currently.

The sole run against Straily came late in his performance, as a home run was hit by Koo Ja-wook in the sixth inning.

The win was Straily’s third-straight for him, with earlier performances in the month seeing him go deeper into games without allowing any runs. His 2020 record in the KBO is currently 4-2 with a 2.03 ERA, which is the third lowest in the league.

Tied for third in saves is Giants played Kim Won-joong, who was given his 10th save of the season on Sunday after playing the ninth inning.

Giants and Lions Get Set For Week on The Road

Next week for the Giants continues their extended road series. The Giants will start their next week of play with a three-game series against the SK Wyverns. The team currently has a positive record of 3-2 over the Wyverns this season. After that, the team will play a series against the Kiwoom Heroes who they’ve gone 3-3 against this year.

Just like the Giants, the Lions will be on the road for the next week. The Lions will play the top-ranked NC Dinos to start their next week of play. After that, they’ll play a three-game series against the Kia Tigers.

Around The KBO

Getting a sweep in their series, the LG Twins took a 6-2 win against the Hanhwa Eagles. 

A second inning that saw the NC Dinos score five runs quickly put the game out of reach for the KT Wiz. Winning 8-2, the Dinos swept their series against the Wiz.

Being down by three runs, a rally in the eighth from the SK Wyverns earned them a 4-3 win against the Kiwoom Heroes.

An 8-4 win for the Doosan Bears over the Kia Tigers saw a standout performance from Oh Jae-il, who scored five RBIs in the game.

With the addition of starting pitcher Ben Lively back in their rotation, the Samsung Lions won a 5-2 game against the Lotte Giants on Saturday. The game was at their home field, the Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea.

Giants Score First But Lose Lead Shortly After

The small amount of scoring that came from the Giants was early, as a hit in the first inning from Heo Il scored two runs.

The following innings saw the Lions score numerous runs. In the third inning, a hit from Kim Sang-su scored the first run for the home team. An inning later a sacrifice fly from Lee Sung-gon tied the game up.

Giants starter Park Se-woong was taken out during the fourth inning.

The Lions took the lead in the fifth against reliever Lee In-bok. Moving ahead by a run, Kang Min-ho drove a runner home off of a hit. Lee was given the loss for his performance, making it his third of the year.

Lively Has Strong Return

Lions starter Ben Lively made his return in this game after an injury in late May benched him. He pitched a solid five innings, allowing only two runs and five hits. The game gave Lively his first win of the season, moving his record to 1-3.

The Giants came near scoring in the sixth against Kim Yoon-soo, who was the first reliever of four who appeared for the home team. With a runner on third base, Kim was able to finish the inning without letting a run score.

The Lions tacked on insurance runs in the seventh inning as solo home runs from both Lee Sung-gon and Lee Sung-gyu were hit. The home runs came against reliever Park Jin-hyung.

Lions Aim For Sweep

The Lions continue their battle for fifth in the league versus the Twins. Both nine games behind, the Twins stayed in fifth after winning their respective games on Saturday.

Looking for the sweep tomorrow, the Lions will host the Giants once more before the week of play ends. The first pitch for Sunday’s game is set for 5:00PM KST (4:00AM EDT).

Around The KBO

A low-scoring matchup saw the LG Twins get a 3-1 win over the Hanhwa Eagles. Starting pitcher for the Twins Cha Woo-chan played seven innings, allowing only five hits.

Keeping his ERA at a record low in the year of 1.35 this season, Koo Chang-mo pitched seven innings while only allowing two hits for the NC Dinos on Saturday. His performance helped the team get a 6-1 win against the KT Wiz.

The Kiwoom Heroes won a 4-1 game over the SK Wyverns on the road.

In a shutout victory, the Doosan Bears defeated the Kia Tigers 6-0. With both the Heroes and Bears winning their games, they stay in close competition for the second-place spot in the KBO.

The Lotte Giants took a 15-10 loss to the Samsung Lions on Friday in a high-scoring game that looked similar to the win the Giants took on Thursday versus the LG Twins.

The game was the first for the Giants at the Lions home park this season, the Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea.

Han Continues Hot Streak

The Giants gained a short lead in the third after a hit from Han Dong-hee scored two runs. This continued the hot streak that Han has been on lately, as the third baseman has scored 15 RBIs in his last seven games.

Lions Gain 10-Run Lead

While it was the Giants who scored first, the Lions answered back with force, scoring 12 runs over four innings. It started in the third with a single from Lee Won-seok that took two runners home.

The scoring continued an inning later, with Kim Ji-chan batting home another two runs. After giving up four runs, Seo Jun-won was taken out of the game amid the fourth inning. Reliever Jung Tae-seung came in, allowing one more run off of a hit from Koo Ja-wook before the inning ended.

Jung stayed in the fifth inning, giving up a two-run home run from Kang Min-ho after getting two runs. A hit from Kim Sang-su scored a run, with Koo Ja-wook doing the same thing in the following at bat.

With the score 9-2, Jung was replaced by Park Shi-young, who finished the inning. Park got scored on in the sixth, as a three-run home run from Lee Sung-gyu made the game 12-2.

Late Push From Giants Countered By Insurance Runs

The Giants finally answered back in the seventh by scoring three runs. A hit from Dixon Machado was the first, which took home two runners. This ruled the end for starting pitcher Choi Chae-heung, who was awarded the win after six complete innings of play. Jung Hoon drove a run against reliever Lee Seung-hyun before the inning ended.

The Giants had a big eighth inning, scoring five runs. A big portion of it can be credited to Jeon Jun-woo, who hit a three-run home run. Later in the inning, Jung hit drove home two more runs.

Insurance runs came to the Lions in the seventh and eighth. A fielder’s choice play from Choi Young-jin in the seventh, as well as a sacrifice fly from Kim Ji-chan and a hit from Lee Hak-ju scored a run each, moving the game to its final score of 15-10.

Lions See Potential To Move

The Lions will host the Giants for two more games this weekend, with Saturday’s game starting at 6:00PM KST (5:00AM EDT). A win for the Lions could put them into fifth in the league as the team currently trails the LG Twins in the standings.

Around The KBO

The second tie of the year happened as the KT Wiz tied 3-3 with the NC Dinos. The game went scoreless past the eighth inning, playing 12 in total.

A late push of runs by the SK Wyverns gave them back the lead, allowing them to defeat the Kiwoom Heroes 12-9.

The LG Twins got an 8-0 shutout win over the Hanhwa Eagles. The performance was lead by starting pitcher Im Chan-kyu, who allowed only two hits and two walks over six innings.

The Kia Tigers pulled off an upset win defeating the Doosan Bears 4-2 to start the weekend series.