SK 11, KIA 6
W - Lee Seung-ho, L - Rick Guttormson
KIA leads the series 2-1
It appears that the 2 1/2 week layoff hurt KIA starter Rick Guttormson more than it helped him. Rick looked rusty and uncomfortable on the mound last night and it was even more evident in the results he produced. Guttormson was battered for 4 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk during his 2+ innings of work. This was easily Rick's shortest outing of the season. SK starter Gary Glover looked more like the guy that dominated in August than the guy who has struggled in October. Glover threw 4 2/3 innings(83 pitches, 51 strikes) before he was removed. Glover gave up 4 walks and 1 hit batsman. He left the game with a no-hitter still intact, but the pitches were starting to pile up and Korean managers are frustratingly skittish when it comes to pitchers in the playoffs.
The SK offense jumped out to an early 4-0 lead against Guttormson and they never looked back. 11-6 makes the final sound close, but KIA was never really in this game. KIA didn't record a hit until the 6th inning and they didn't score a run until the 7th. KIA reliever Seo Jae-wong had a meltdown in the 5th inning that put the game out of reach. He could barely find the plate, let alone record an out. After loading the bases on 2 singles and a walk, Seo drilled the next two batters in the elbow. The 2nd plunking got the pitching coach out to the mound to ask for the ball. KIA reliever Han Ki-joo was asked to stop the bleeding. He did his best to get out of the jam, but SK held an 8-0 lead at the end of the inning.
Seo also had issues in the 4th inning. SK 2nd baseman Jeong Geun-woo hit a line drive back to the mound that deflected off of Seo's glove. Seo tossed the ball over to 1st to record the out. Seo and Jeong exchanged words. Seo appeared to be the instigator, but it's hard to tell if Jeong said something while running to first. Both benches cleared and a fan lobbed a full beer onto the field. It was pretty tame by Korean Series standards.
W - Lee Seung-ho, L - Rick Guttormson
KIA leads the series 2-1
It appears that the 2 1/2 week layoff hurt KIA starter Rick Guttormson more than it helped him. Rick looked rusty and uncomfortable on the mound last night and it was even more evident in the results he produced. Guttormson was battered for 4 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk during his 2+ innings of work. This was easily Rick's shortest outing of the season. SK starter Gary Glover looked more like the guy that dominated in August than the guy who has struggled in October. Glover threw 4 2/3 innings(83 pitches, 51 strikes) before he was removed. Glover gave up 4 walks and 1 hit batsman. He left the game with a no-hitter still intact, but the pitches were starting to pile up and Korean managers are frustratingly skittish when it comes to pitchers in the playoffs.
The SK offense jumped out to an early 4-0 lead against Guttormson and they never looked back. 11-6 makes the final sound close, but KIA was never really in this game. KIA didn't record a hit until the 6th inning and they didn't score a run until the 7th. KIA reliever Seo Jae-wong had a meltdown in the 5th inning that put the game out of reach. He could barely find the plate, let alone record an out. After loading the bases on 2 singles and a walk, Seo drilled the next two batters in the elbow. The 2nd plunking got the pitching coach out to the mound to ask for the ball. KIA reliever Han Ki-joo was asked to stop the bleeding. He did his best to get out of the jam, but SK held an 8-0 lead at the end of the inning.
Seo also had issues in the 4th inning. SK 2nd baseman Jeong Geun-woo hit a line drive back to the mound that deflected off of Seo's glove. Seo tossed the ball over to 1st to record the out. Seo and Jeong exchanged words. Seo appeared to be the instigator, but it's hard to tell if Jeong said something while running to first. Both benches cleared and a fan lobbed a full beer onto the field. It was pretty tame by Korean Series standards.
SK 1st baseman Park Jeong-kwon continued to produce during the playoffs. Park finished the game 4-5 with a homer, 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored. SK left fielder Park Jae-sang ended the game 2-3 with 2 walks, a double and 3 runs scored. KIA 3rd baseman/MVP candidate Kim Sang-hyeon had a solid game in a blowout. With SK winning 8-1 in the 8th inning, Kim hit a 3-run homer to close the gap to 8-4. Kim finished 2-4 with a walk, 4 RBIs and 1 run scored.
The series continues tonight at 6 PM Incheon time. Chae"Tons of Fun" Byeong-yong will rumble to the bump for SK. If Chae makes it out of the 3rd inning, I'll be impressed. The word "endurance" isn't exactly in the portly pitcher's vocabulary. If he makes it out of the 3rd, this game will go over 4 hours. Chae isn't known for working quickly. He takes an eternity between pitches. Chae will be opposed by Yang Hyeon-jong. Yang finished the season 12-5 with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Yang struck out 139 and walked 60 in 148 2/3 innings.
No comments:
Post a Comment