Samsung, the “last place” team in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), snapped the eight-game winning streak of the “first place” LG.
Samsung rallied to a 5-4 victory over LG on Thursday, led by a 4-for-4, two-run, three-RBI performance from No. 4 hitter Kang Min-ho (38).
With the score 1-2 and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning, Kang Min-ho hit a game-tying home run (his 13th of the season) off LG starter Lee Ji-kang (24).
With the score at 3-4 in the bottom of the eighth, Kang Min-ho hit a two-run double off LG’s Yoo Young-chan (26) with runners on second and third to tie the game.
In the top of the ninth, reliever Oh Seung-hwan (41) ended the inning with a triple play to seal the win for Samsung.
The top of the eighth inning was disappointing for LG, as they had two failed stolen bases.
In the top of the eighth inning, with the score tied 3-3, Shin Min-jae (27) walked with one out, but the next batter, Kim Hyun-soo (35), was caught stealing and called out.
Kim Hyun-soo then hit a home run, which would have made it 5-3 if he had stayed on first base.
LG then attempted a double steal with runners on second and third, but was unable to score another run as third baseman Jung Ju-hyun (33) was strangled.
It was Samsung’s first win over LG since May 12 in Anbang.
Since then, Samsung had lost five games against LG.
With the win, Samsung tasted victory on Friday for the first time since June 2.
Samsung had just one draw and five losses in its last six games on Fridays.
LG, on the other hand, had its recent seven-game winning streak halted, as well as its four-game winning streak on the road.
In the top of the seventh inning with the score tied 3-3, Buchanan, 34, complained of numbness in his right wrist.
However, he was able to retire the next batter, Park Hae-min (33), on a grounder in front of the pitcher’s mound to complete the seventh inning.
“Buchanan pitched an ace-down seventh inning against the No. 1 team and laid the foundation for the win,” said Samsung coach Park Jin-man.
In the top of the eighth inning, Samsung’s third pitcher, Kim Tae-hoon (31), was unable to get an out with his pitching, but he was fortunate to get Jung Joo-hyun at third base after a double play.
Goodrum was the only Lotte batter to get a hit on the day.
Seventh-ranked Lotte lost to second-ranked SSG, 1-4, in the nightcap.
Lotte drew four walks and three balls hit to the body until the bottom of the fifth inning, when SSG starter Park Jong-hoon (32) was on the mound with two outs.
However, they were only able to score one run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Goodrum (31) hit an infield single that went wide.
Lotte was just 2-for-12 (.167 batting average) with runners in scoring position on the day, leaving 13 stranded.
Kia’s Young-Cheol Yoon celebrates his seventh win of the season.
KIA defeated Hanwha 9-3 at home in Gwangju to improve to 43 wins and one loss in 43 games.
Home run leader Hanwha’s Noh Si-hwan (23) hit his 22nd home run of the season off KIA starter Yoon Young-cheol (19) in the top of the fifth inning, but it was overshadowed by his team’s loss.
Yoon gave up a run in the top of the fourth inning to foreign hitter Williams (30), but that was it.
Yoon, who joined KIA this year after graduating from Chungam High School, eventually earned the win with six innings of three-run ball to improve to 7-4 on the season.
KT’s Jang Jang-woo (left) and Park Young-hyun.
KT extended its winning streak to seven games with a 4-3 victory over visiting Doosan in Jamsil. KT, which was tied for fourth place with third-place Doosan the day before, moved up to third place with the win.
Fifth-ranked NC, which announced before the game that it had released foreign pitcher Widener (29) and signed Tanner (29), defeated ninth-ranked Kiwoom 4-2 at home in Changwon.
Meanwhile, with 42,361 fans attending the five games on the day, professional baseball surpassed the five million mark after 457 games this year.
According to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), 스포츠토토맨 the total number of fans who have attended professional baseball games this season is 5,042,283.