One out and the game was won. But an error turned the game on its head.
Hanwha suffered a 3-5 home loss against the Samsung Lions in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League 스포츠토토 on April 22 at the Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon. The loss snapped a three-game losing streak and dropped Hanwha to 42-6-56 on the season, losing ground on ninth-place Samsung (46-1-60).
Facing Samsung ace David Buchanan, Hanwha didn’t score until the sixth inning, but starter Lee Tae-yang matched Buchanan with five innings of three-hit ball, one walk and four strikeouts, while relievers Joo Hyun-hyun and Kim Bum-soo kept the game close.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Han Hwa singled up the middle, followed by an error by Buchanan to put runners on first and second with no outs, and after Lee advanced to third on a wild pitch, Kim Tae-yeon was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Lee Jin-young then struck out, but Lee Do-yoon, who was at third on a wild pitch, came home to tie the game at 1-1. On the next at-bat, Nick Williams grounded into a double play, but Buchanan’s walk brought home Choi In-ho to give Hanwha a 2-1 lead.
With a one-run lead, Hanwha retired the side in order in the top of the eighth and brought in closer Park Sang-won to close out the ninth. Park gave up a leadoff single to Koo Ja-rook, but induced back-to-back grounders from Kang Min-ho and Jose Pirela to extend the count.
Then, with two runners on base, he was replaced by Ryu Ji-hyuk. Ryu hit a 5-pitch fastball from Park Sang-won on a 1-ball-2-strike count, which was heavily bound and headed for the infield. A normal defense would have ended the game. However, shortstop Ha Joo-seok, who had been playing center field since the top of the eighth inning, failed to catch the ball properly, and the game was not over, but turned into a runners on first and third with both runners safe.
Instead of ending the game on a critical error, the tide turned in Samsung’s favor, as Kim Dong-yeop hit an infield single that scored Koo Ja-rook to tie the game at 2-2. Samsung didn’t stop there, as Lee Jae-hyun singled to score another run, and a throwing error by the right fielder brought in another runner to make the score 4-2. Kim Ji-chan’s RBI single made it 5-2 in favor of Samsung.
In the bottom of the ninth inning. Lee Do-yoon hit a solo home run off Oh Seung-hwan to cut Hanwha’s deficit to 3-5. But it would be the last time. Choi In-ho flied out to center field, and Ha Ju-seok grounded out to shortstop on the first pitch to end the inning. Lee Jin-young struck out swinging to end the game with a completely different ending.