9/3 Roundup and News

No news of any importance, but the Samsung Lions had another new foreign guy make his KBO debut last night. I'd like you to meet the newest Lion, John Ennis. His minor league numbers and the fact that his middle name is "Wayne" make him look pretty decent. He averaged more than a strikeout per inning and posted a K:BB of more than 3-1, but I get the impression that he stepped off the plane onto the diamond last night.

Doosan 1, Hanhwa 0 (18)
W - Kim Sang-hyeon (4-0), L - Ahn Yeong-myeong (7-1)

I went to last night's Lions/Tigers game and made it home in time to watch the last 5 innings of this game. It took almost 6 hours to complete this nightmare. Towards the end, the both the Bears and Eagles were both in "I-don't-care-anymore-I'm-goin'-deep" mode. If Ahn Yeong-Myoeng hadn't run completely out of gas in the 18th who knows how long this would have lasted. Doosan's Kim Hyeon-su "drove" in the winning run with a walk off, bases loaded walk. Doosan reliever, Kim Sang-hyeon, was awesome. He worked 6 innings of no-hit baseball, striking out 10(!) Eagles.

SK 8, Heroes 0
W - Kim Kwang-hyeon (13-4), L - Lee Hyeon-seung (5-6)

Last night was simply too much Kim Kwang-hyeon and too much SK offense. SK got the party started right with a 4-run rally in the 1st inning. With the 4-run cushion, Kim was able to focus on throwing strikes. It felt like Kim was ahead in the count with every hitter. The SK ace worked 7 1/3 shutout innings(106 pitches, 70 strikes) allowing only 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 9. SK centerfielder, Kim Kang-min finished the night 2-4 with a homer, 3 RBI and 1 run scored.

KIA 4, Samsung 3
W - Son Yeong-min (5-2), L - John Ennis (0-1), S - Han Ki-joo (24)

Where were you when John Ennis made his KBO debut? I was at Citizen Ballpark in downtown Daegu. Ennis pitched like he had stepped off the plane thirty minutes before game time. The first inning took FOR-EV-ER. Ennis lasted 5 1/3 innings(105 pitches, 65 strikes) before being mercifully lifted. He allowed 4 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks with 2 K's. He also had a brief disagreement with an umpire over balls and strikes. Felix Diaz was equally bad if not worse, but he was lifted in the bottom of the third due to an injury of some sort. I'm guessing either a pulled fat or strained suck. KIA catcher, Kim Sang-hoon, finished the night 2-4 with a 2-run homer in the 4th. His homer tied the game at 3. KIA would score again in the 6th on an RBI single from Kim Jong-kook and that would give us our 4-3 final.

LG 3, Lotte 2
W - Bong Jung-geun (9-8), L - Choi Hyang-nam (2-3), S - Jeong Jae-bok (10)

This game was scoreless through 6 innings, but the scoreless tie was shattered when LG busted lose for a 3-run rally in the 7th inning. In the 7th Choi Hyang-nam relieved Lotte starter, Song Seung-joon. Kim Sang-hyeon drilled a leadoff double to right field and just came in under the tag from Karim Garcia's throw. Garcia's bat has overshadowed his glove and his throwing arm. Both have been more than competent for KBO level competition. LG's Kwon Yong-kwan dropped a bunt down the third baseline to get Kim into third. Choi fielded the ball cleanly and flung it toward the Lotte third baseman, Lee Won-seok. Lee allowed the throw to dribble past him and while scrambling for the ball, he essentially tackled Kim. After the tackle, Kim was awarded home and LG took a 1-0 lead. The next batter, Park Kyeong-su, lifted a basehit juuuuust over the glove of the leaping Lotte shortstop to put runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Lotte's Kang Yeong-sik relieved a shellshocked Choi. LG's Lee Dae-yeong dropped another bunt down the third base line. This time, it was fielded cleanly and Lotte forced Lee at first, but Kwon was able to score and Park advanced to second. The next batter, Park Yong-taek drilled a double into the gap in left/center to score LG's third and final run. The Giants offered fake rallies in the 7th and 8th, but were unable to plate the tying run.