6/2 Roundup and News

Hanhwa 11, LG 10
W - Ahn Yeong-myeong (4-3), L - Rick Bauer (0-2), S - Ma Jeong-gil (1)

I can't believe that these two teams combined for 21 runs, but only 1 home run was hit. 11-10 makes this sound closer than it really should have been. Hanhwa lead 7-1 in the 7th inning. The two teams combined to score 13 runs over the last 2 innings. LG scored 9 of them and the final out was recorded with the go-ahead run on base. Rick Bauer made his 2nd KBO start and it was fairly forgettable. Rick was battered for 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks during his 3 1/3 innings of work. He did managed to strike out 3 Eagles. Hanhwa starter Ahn Yeong-myeong delivered a quality start, but the Hanhwa bullpen completely imploded and almost cost Ahn the W. Ahn threw 6 innings(103 pitches , 67 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4. 4 Hanhwa relievers were needed to record the final 6 outs. They combined to allow 9 runs on 8 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batsman. Hanhwa arsonist Yang Hoon was prominently involved. Suprisingly, so was Brad Thomas. For Hanhwa's sake, the LG bullpen was also fairly mediocre. LG slugger Roberto Petagine continued his quest to .400. Petagine went 3-5 with 4 RBIs. Hanhwa right fielder and lead off hitter Kang Dong-woo and DH Victor Diaz both drove in 3 runs for the Eagles.

SK 3, Lotte 2
W - Kim Kwang-hyeon (8-0), L - Lee Yong-hoon (2-4), S - Lee Seung-ho (3)

SK used a 3-run 4th inning rally and a quality start from ace Kim Kwang-hyeon to cruise to victory. In the 4th inning, SK left fielder Park Jae-sang doubled and scored on a single by 1st baseman Park Jeong-kwon. Kwon would score on DH Lee Ho-joon's home run to give SK a 3-1 advantage. Kim Kwang-hyeon was solid, but not spectacular. Kim threw 6 1/3 innings(111 pitches, 72 strikes) of 2-run baseball. He allowed 9 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. SK reliever Lee Seung-ho recorded the final 5 outs of the game in order to earn the save. He only allowed one base hit. Lotte's Lee Yong-hoon was the tough luck loser. Lee threw 7 solid innings(98 pitches, 60 strikes). He allowed all 3 SK runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. Lee managed to strike out 5 Wyverns during his start.

Samsung 9, Seoul Heroes 2
W - Cha Woo-chan (3-3), L - Lee Hyeon-seung (6-4)

The Lions jumped all over Heroes starting pitcher Lee Hyeon-seung and Cha Woo-chan gave the Lions quality innings. This was the 5th consecutive game in which the Lions had a starting pitcher throw into the 6th inning. For this team, that's a huge accomplishment. Cha tossed 6 innings(99 pitches, 63 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He surrendered 6 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5. Bae Yong-su made a relief appearance. I guess he'll be blowing games in the late innings instead of the early innings now. The only thing this changes is that I won't know when he's going to be pitching. I always had advance notice when he was in the rotation. I'm not sure I like the idea of him lurking in the bullpen. The Samsung offense was a team effort. 1st baseman Park Seok-min, left fielder Choi Hyeong-woo and shortstop Park Jin-man all drove in 2 runs. 3rd baseman and #9 hitter Cho Dong-chan went 2-4 with a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored.

Doosan 9, KIA 3
W - Lim Tae-hoon (6-1), L - Jin Min-ho (0-1)

This game was actually tied 3-3 in the top of the 9th. The Bears struck for a 6-run 9th inning rally to blow the game wide open. The Tigers needed 3 pitchers to record 3 outs. The Bears loaded the bases with 2 outs. Bears 1st baseman Oh Jae-won drew a walk to give the Bears a 4-3 advantage. Then the Bears connected for 3 consecutive doubles. Son Si-hyeon, Lim Jae-cheol and Yong Deok-han hit back-to-back-to-back 2-baggers. Doosan left fielder Kim Hyeon-su enjoyed a solid day at the plate. The '08 batting champ went 2-4 with a homer, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Doosan's Kim Sun-woo turned in a solid effort on the mound, but was stuck with an ND. Kim threw 5 2/3 innings(93 pitches, 52 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed only 6 hits while striking out 3.