Oh Myung-chul of the Joongang Ilbo gives us a reasonably in depth look at the home run race. I'd like to see Choi Hee-seop make a run at the title, but Kim Sang-hyeon looks like the clear favorite.
On to the roundup...
Seoul Heroes 5, LG 4
W - Hwang Doo-seong (5-2), L - Bong Jung-geun (10-11), S - Kang Yoon-guh (1)
Hrm. That's how I felt about this game. I was expecting more from Hwang(2.81 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) and Bong(3.39 ERA, 1.24 WHIP). LG ace Bong Jung-geun looked fairly human during his 5 innings(86 pitches, 46 strikes) of work last night. Bong allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while only striking out 3. Heroes starter Hwang Doo-seong wasn't much better. Hwang lasted 5 2/3 innings(91 pitches, 60 strikes), but only allowed 3 runs(2 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. LG 3rd baseman Jeong Seong-hoon(.303/.383/.433) enjoyed a solid day at the plate. Jeong went 3-5 with 3 RBIs. Heroes 2nd baseman Kim Il-kyeong(.265/.336/.326) got the game ball for the Heroes. Kim went 2-3 with a walk, 2 RBIs and 1 run scored. This game was by far the least interesting of the evening...moving on.
SK 3, Doosan 2 (10)
W - Yoon Gil-hyeon (3-0), L - Kim Sang-hyeon (4-6)
This game had a quite the subplot. CJ Nitkowski(4.82 ERA, 1.56 WHIP) wasn't only pitching against the team that released him, but he was opposed by the foreign guy that replaced him on the roster. CJ pitched about as well as a converted reliever could have. CJ tossed 5 innings(110 pitches, 62 strikes) of 2-run baseball. CJ allowed 5 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5. SK starter Gary Glover(2.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) got the better of CJ, but was still stuck with an ND. The Glove tossed 8 innings(125 pitches, 83 strikes) and allowed only 2 runs. Gary gave up 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out a season high, 12 batters. Every time Gary needed a big strikeout, he got it. He left everything on the field last night. The game was tied at 2 at the end of 9 innings. In the bottom of the 10th, SK DH Kim Jae-hyeon(.299/.424/.436) was hit by a Kim Sang-hyeon curveball to lead off the inning. Kim advanced to 2nd on catcher Jeong Sang-ho's sacrifice bunt. The next batter, SK shortstop Na Ju-hwan(.283/.356/.410), drilled a line drive over the head of Doosan center fielder Lee Jong-wook for a walk-off single. Na was mobbed by his teammates. He was then kicked, doused with rosin and doused with water.
A big highlight of the last few innings were a pair of high school age girls that were constantly cut to during the broadcast. One was a Doosan fan and the other was an SK fan. Every time something would happen, we'd get a shot of them on the TV along with their reaction. Their biggest highlight was when one of their friends finally called them to tell them they were on TV. They both hid behind their stix. The whole ordeal was painfully cute.
Lotte 7, Samsung 5
W - Song Seung-joon (12-6), L - Francisco Cruceta (8-7), S - Jon Adkins (23)
Lotte pummeled Francisco Cruceta(4.44 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) for 5 runs in the 1st inning. Most of the damage came on a 3-run blast from Karim Garcia(.256/.345/.486). Cruceta was able to shake off the rocky start and stick around. Cruceta managed to last 6 innings, but Fast Frankie was charged with 6 runs, all earned. Song Seung-joon(4.54 ERA, 1.45 WHIP) has reverted back to the 5 inning-pitch count monster he's always been during his career. I don't know where his amazing June came from. Song tossed 5 innings of 3-run baseball. Song allowed 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. Lotte DH Hong Seong-heun(.380/.440/.554) continued his march toward a batting title with a 3-5, 2 RBI, 1 run scored performance. Jon Adkins(4.20 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) struck out 2 during a scoreless 9th to earn the save.
KIA 2, Hanhwa 1
W - Seo Jae-wong (4-3), L - Ryu Hyeon-jin (9-11), S - Son Yeong-min (1)
Now, this is the kind of game that makes me smile. Two pitchers with legit good stuff locked in a duel. Ryu Hyeon-jin(3.97 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) stuck around longer, but Seo Jae-wong(5.51 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) got a little help from the KIA offense and a lot of help from reliever Son Yeong-min(3.10 ERA, 1.02 WHIP). Ryu tossed 8 innings(129 pitches, 71 strikes) of 2-run baseball. The Hanhwa ace allowed 3 hits and 6 walks while striking out 5. Seo Jae-wong only lasted 6 innings(91 pitches, 57 strikes), but he only allowed 1 run. Seo gave up 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7. Hanhwa jumped out to an early lead thanks to a solo homer from slugger Kim Tae-gyun(.319/.400/.547) in the 2nd inning. KIA tied the game on shortstop Lee Hyeon-gon's(.262/.333/.319) sac fly in the 5th inning. The Tigers took the lead in the 6th on a solo homer from right fielder Lee Jong-beom(.276/.340/.380). KIA reliever Son Yeong-min threw 3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the save. Son gave up 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 5.
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