The KIA Tigers have won seven straight games.
The Kia Tigers won their 12th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against the SSG Landers 12-4 at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Tuesday.
Rookie left-hander Yoon Young-chul earned his eighth win of the season with seven hits (one home run), five strikeouts and three runs over five innings. The previous day,메이저놀이터 KIA won 10-2 behind Yang Hyun-jong’s seven-inning no-hitter. They clinched the series against Incheon.
Since a 7-3 victory over the KT Wiz in Suwon on April 24, KIA has won seven straight games, including a three-game home sweep of the Hanwha Eagles and a 13-3 victory over the NC Dinos on April 31. It is the first seven-game winning streak in two years. KIA had previously won eight straight games from July 1 to August 13, 2021.
The KIA batting order was Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Kim Do-young (third base), Na Sung-beom (right field), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Socrates (left field), Kim Sun-bin (second base), Hwang Dae-in (first base), Han Jun-soo (catcher), and Choi Won-joon (center field).
The KIA batters continued to hit well. They scored two runs in the first inning. After the first batter, Park Chan-ho, grounded out to the second baseman, Kim Do-young singled and Na Sung-beom drew a walk.
SSG starter Moon Seung-won’s delivery was shaky. With runners on first and second, Choi Hyung-woo hit a double down the right field line. With runners on second and third, Socrates hit a sacrifice fly to right field for a 2-0 lead.
KIA Choi Hyung-woo. / OSEN DB
In the second inning, Hwang Dae-in led off with a walk and Han Jun-soo took a four-pitch fastball from Moon Seung-won for a two-run home run over the right field wall.
With a 4-0 lead, KIA answered in the bottom of the third when starter Yoon Young-cheol gave up a single to first baseman Kim Sung-hyun and a two-pitch fastball to Lee Heung-ryun for a two-run home run over the left field fence.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Yoon gave up a single to Oh Tae-gon and a stolen base. He then gave up a single to Kim Sung-hyun in left field. However, he did not give up any more runs.
Yoon Young-cheol took over until the fifth inning, after which the bullpen pitched the remaining four innings with one run. Lim Ki-young and Lee Jun-young continued to pitch scoreless innings before Jang Hyun-sik gave up an RBI single to Ha Jae-hoon in the bottom of the eighth.
There were no more runs for KIA. The bats continued to score runs. Trailing 4-3 in the top of the seventh, Na Sung-beom singled to left field with one out. Choi Hyung-woo popped out to third, and Socrates followed with a two-run double to right-center.
Kim Sun-bin then drew a walk against reliever Lee Kun-wook, and Hwang Dae-in pinch-hitter Go Jong-wook singled to right. KIA’s firepower did not fade.
Na Sung-bum hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth, followed by a three-run shot by Oh Sun-woo in the top of the ninth.
Socrates, KIA’s foreign hitter. / OSEN DB