I had no idea Ahn Chi-hong was this popular. I've got to think that earning a starting spot in the all-star game has to put him in the lead for rookie of the year voting. This rookie class is sooooo much better than last year's. I can actually rattle off 5 or 6 names that could be included in the voting. Last year, I really couldn't think of anyone. The voters reflected that by selecting a 26-year old outfielder in his first full season.
KIA 2, Doosan 1
W - Aquilino Lopez (4-2), L - Kim Sang-hyeon (3-3)
This game was all about Lopez(2.77 ERA, 1.26 WHIP). Senor Smoke surrendered only 1 run while going the distance(117 pitches, 83 strikes) last night. Lopez allowed only 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. KIA scored a pair of runs in the 2nd inning thanks to RBI doubles from shortstop Kim Seon-bin(.313/.389/.406) and outfielder Lee Jong-beom(.284/.332/.353). Doosan scored its only run of the game in the 3rd inning. Center fielder Jeong Su-bin(.301/.403/.478) tripled with one out. Jeong would score on 1st baseman Oh Jae-won's(.283/.379/.300) RBI groundout.
Seoul Heroes 6, SK 3
W - Lee Bo-geun (5-2), L - Kim Kwang-hyeon (8-1)
The Heroes handed the reigning KBO MVP his first loss of the season last night. Kim(2.89 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) wasn't bad, he just wasn't good enough to win without a lot of run support. Kim worked 7 innings(117 pitches, 75 strikes) of 3-run baseball. Kim allowed only 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. The Heroes rallied for 3 runs in the first inning off of the SK ace, but Kim was able to settle down and keep the game from getting out of hand. He left that to the SK bullpen. SK reliever Lee Seung-ho(5.29 ERA, 1.62 WHIP) has been fairly ineffective for almost 2 months. He posted a solid April, but his ERA in June was 6.16 in 19 innings and he's walked a TON of batters this season. It wasn't that Lee couldn't find the plate, he had trouble finding the catcher at times. Of the 6 batters Lee faced, 5 reached base. The only out he recorded was on a sacrifice bunt. SK rallied in the 9th inning, but it turned out to be a fake rally to make the boxscore look a little more respectable. 6-3 sounds a lot closer than 6-2.
LG 6, Hanhwa 3
W - Bong Jung-geun (5-7), L - Ryu Hyeon-jin (7-4), S - Lee Jae-yeong (2)
I was actually excited enough for this game that I skipped out on going to the ballpark to watch Lotte and Samsung to watch it. I was a little disappointed. Ryu Hyeon-jin(3.83 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) isn't very sharp right now. My gut tells me its a mechanics issue and not a health issue, but I'm not nearly enough of an expert to make that call. Ryu stuck around for 6 innings(91 pitches, 55 strikes). He surrendered 4 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks while managing only 2 K's. LG ace Bong Jung-geun(2.80 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) looked like the big game pitcher we saw in the WBC. Bong worked 7 solid innings(108 pitches, 67 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits, 4 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 4. He also tallied about 4 fist pumps and 2 glove slaps. I always like it when a starting pitcher shows a little emotion, well except for this clown. LG held a slim 2-1 lead in the 6th inning. The Twins were able to extend that lead to 4-1 thanks to a 2-run blast from catcher Cho In-seong(.253/.337/.451). Hanhwa mounted a fake rally in the 8th inning, but LG tacked on insurance runs in the 8th and 9th innings. LG reliever Lee Jae-yeong(3.60 ERA, 1.57 WHIP) recorded the final 5 outs to earn the save.
Samsung 10, Lotte 2
W - Yoon Seong-hwan (4-2), L - Lee Yong-hoon (3-5)
Well, well, well.
Matt - 29
Aaron -26
The plot thickens.
Samsung starter Yoon Seong-hwan(5.45 ERA, 1.60 WHIP) essentially did what Lotte starter Lee Yong-hoon(6.25 ERA, 1.68 WHIP) couldn't. He found a way to NOT crap the bed. Yoon lasted only 5 innings(83 pitches, 52 strikes), but it was all he needed to earn the W. Lee allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman. He kept the Lotte mashers in the ballpark and that was enough. Lee had a Charlie Brown start. He needed 85 pitches to record 13 outs. He walked 5 and hit a batter, but only allowed 4 hits. Sadly, only 1 of the hits stayed in the park. 1. 3rd baseman Cho Dong-chan(.259/.333/.438), outfielder Park Han-yi(.286/.386/.415) and DH Yang Joon-hyeok(.336/.479/.608) all took Lee deep in the first 3 innings. The Hanhwa/LG tilt ended in time for me to click over to the Lions game. I saw relief pitcher Kim Sang-su(5.15 ERA, 1.91 WHIP) warming up. I thought, "Well, they're either up by a ton or behind by a ton," Samsung had an 8-run lead. I really can't believe they didn't try to find an inning or two for Bae Yong-su(6.32 ERA, 1.58 WHIP).
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