The KIA Tigers have a new non-Korean pitcher and he looks...well fed. Right-handed pitcher Matt Wright is listed a 6'4, 270 lbs. He was last seen struggling with the Kansas City Royals AAA affiliate. Here's hoping he has better success with in the KBO. It sounds like his role hasn't been decided yet, but he'll likely end up in the bullpen.
Samsung 6, LG 0
W - Bae Yeong-su (2-0), L - Edgar Gonzalez (0-3)
Samsung HR - None LG HR - None
I'm convinced that Samsung starter Bae Yeong-su was kidnapped last year and replaced by a groundskeeper. Samsung just hoped that no one would notice. There is no logical explanation for Bae's resurgence. He didn't just look washed up. He looked like he had been hung out to dry as well. Bae threw 7 shutout innings(84 pitches, 58 strikes). He gave up only 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. Everything was a groundball. LG starter didn't pitch well, but he wasn't as bad as his line would suggest. He was left in to "take one for the team." Gonzo threw 7 2/3 innings(113 pitches, 79 strikes) and gave up 6 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. It wouldn't surprise me if LG started running him out there every day until his arm fell off just for spite. Samsung left fielder Choi Hyeong-woo drove in Samsung's first run with an RBI single to center. Choi would finish 2-4 with 3 RBIs and 1 run scored.
Lotte 9, Nexen 0
W - Cho Jeong-hoon (2-0), L - Geum Min-cheol (2-2)
Lotte HR - None Nexen HR - None
Thanks to a really poor performance from the Nexen bullpen this game got out of hand quickly. A quick glance at a scoreboard would make you think Nexen starter Geum Min-cheol pitched poorly. Not true! Geum threw 6 innings(102 pitches, 54 strikes) of 2 run baseball. Geum was incredibly wild, but he wasn't 9-runs bad. He allowed 3 hits, 5 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 3. Lotte starter Cho Jeong-hoon cruised for 7 shutout innings(88 pitches, 56 strikes). Cho only gave up 1 hit and 3 walks while striking out 8. Lotte right fielder Karim Garcia and left fielder Son Ah-seop both enjoyed 3 RBI evenings. DH Hong Seong-heun went 2-3 with a walk, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored.
Hanhwa 2, SK 1
W - Ahn Seung-min (1-0), L - Jeong Woo-ram (1-1), S - Ma Il-yeong (1)
Hanhwa HR - None SK HR - Park Jeong-kwon (2)
I'm not sure which score was more unbelievable. 15-14 over Lotte or 2-1 over SK. I think both could rank in my top 5 unbelievable games of 2010. Also included are games when Bae Yeong-su looks like a competent pitcher. SK left fielder Park Jeong-kwon hit a solo homer in the first inning and that was all the offense SK would get. Hanhwa starter Kim Hyeok-min looked, erm, competent. This was the same guy that finished 2009 with over 100 innings pitched and an ERA over 7.00. Kim threw 6 2/3 innings(100 pitches, 58 strikes) of 1-run baseball. He allowed 3 hits, 2 walks and 2 hit batsmen while striking out 4. SK ace Kim Kwang-hyeon made his first start of the 2010 season. Kim tossed 6 shutout innings(82 pitches, 48 strikes) against the Eagles. He gave up only 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. With Kim out of the game in the 7th inning, Hanhwa tied the game when catcher Lee Hui-geun singled, stole second and scored on a single from shortstop Lee Dae-su. Hanhwa mounted another rally in the 8th inning. 1st baseman Kim Tae-won singled to lead off the inning. DH Lee Dae-hyeong singled to move Kim to third with no outs. 3rd baseman Song Kwang-min broke the 1-1 tie with an RBI single to left. Hanhwa reliever Ma Il-yeong recorded a scoreless 9th to earn the save.
Doosan 9, KIA 8
W - Jeong Jae-hoon (2-0), L - Kim Hee-geol (0-2), S - Lee Yong-chan (5)
Doosan HR - Lee Seong-yeol (3), Yang Eui-ji (3), Lee Won-seok (2) KIA HR - None
This was probably the best matchup of the evening. Two playoff contenders trading blows in a possible playoff preview. This was a see-saw match up in the truest sense. Doosan rallied to an early lead only to watch it evaporate and then come from behind to win it. KIA starter Seo Jae-wong looked competent, while Doosan starter Kelvin Jimenez looked like...well, Kelvin Jimenez. Seo tossed 6 innings(91 pitches, 53 strikes) of 3-run ball. He gave up 3 hits, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman while striking out 5. For the first time in his 4 KBO starts, Jimenez didn't figure in the decision. Kelvin threw 5 innings(106 pitches, 64 strikes) and gave up 5 run on 6 hits, 3 walks and 2 hit batsman while striking out 4. Facing a 5-3 deficit in the 7th inning, Doosan 3rd baseman Lee Won-seok clubbed a 2-run bomb to tie the game. Doosan mounted another rally in the 8th inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, Lee Won-seok ripped a double to left/center to drive in two runs and break the 5-5 tie. Shortstop Son Si-hyeon singled to left to drive in another run and make the score 8-5. Doosan scored its final run on a sac fly from catcher Yang Eui-ji. KIA mounted an amazing fake rally in the bottom of the 8th to make the score close, but they couldn't plate the tying run. Doosan closer Lee Yong-chan recorded the final 4 outs of the game to earn the save.
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