The KIA Tigers extended their winning streak to seven games with a sweep of SSG Landers.
KIA rode the strength of a batting lineup that pounded out 12 hits in the first two innings to a 12-4 victory over SSG in the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League 2023 at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Tuesday.
Riding a seven-game winning streak, KIA put pressure on the top of the standings with a season record of 55 wins, 2 losses and 50 draws (5th place). The gap to third-place SSG is 2.5 games.
On the other hand, SSG’s three-game losing streak dropped them to 60W1D50L. While they still hold on to third place, they have to be conscious of the chase from fourth-place NC and fifth-place KIA.
KIA pounded the SSG mound with 12 hits and nine walks on the day.
Socrates Brito led the way with a 3-for-3 performance with two doubles, two runs scored and three RBIs, while Kim Sun-bin, Na Sung-beom and Han Jun-soo each had multi-hit games.
Han Jun-soo (two runs in the second), Na Sung-beom (two runs in the eighth), and Oh Sun-woo (three runs in the ninth) each hit home runs.
Rookie Yoon Young-cheol started for KIA and went five innings, allowing seven hits (one home run), no walks, five strikeouts, and three runs to earn his eighth win of the season.
SSG, on the other hand, pounded out 10 hits but were unable to muster any runs and showed no cohesion.
SSG starter Moon Seung-won gave up four runs on six hits (one home run) and three walks in 5⅔ innings, striking out two and walking four to fall to 5-3 on the season.
KIA, which has been hitting well of late, pounced in the first inning. After the first inning, Kim Do-young and Na Sung-beom drew back-to-back walks and Choi Hyung-woo doubled to open the scoring. Socrates followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
KIA went further in the top of the second with a two-run home run by Han Jun-soo.
Yoon Young-cheol then hit a two-run homer off Lee Heung-ryun in the bottom of the third and a RBI single off Kim Sung-hyun in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to 4-3.
In a close game, KIA’s bats came alive in the final inning. In the top of the seventh, with runners on first and second, Socrates doubled and pinch-hitter Ko Jong-wook singled to score three runs.
Na Sung-beom’s two-run homer in the top of the eighth and Oh Sun-woo’s three-run homer in the top of the ninth put an end to SSG’s hopes. 스포츠토토
In Gocheok, the Kiwoom Heroes defeated the KT Wiz 3-0.
With the back-to-back wins, Kiwoom snapped a two-game losing streak for KT, which hadn’t lost in nearly two months since July 6-9.
With the three-game winning streak, Kiwoom surpassed the 50-win mark for the season (70-3) and remained in ninth place.
With the win, Kiwoom head coach Hong Won-ki reached the 200-win plateau (34th all-time) after three seasons and 411 games.