4/23 Roundup and News

Hanhwa 5, LG 0
W - Yoo Won-seong (2-0), L - Shim Su-chang (0-2)
Hanhwa HR - None LG HR - None

Hanhwa shut someone out? Ryu Hyeon-jin must've been starting. He wasn't? No-effing-way. Yoo Won-seong tossed a complete game(102 pitches, 64 strikes). He gave up only 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. The Eagles put together an assembly line rally in the 2nd inning, by the time the dust settled, Yoo was spotted a 4-run lead and cruised to an easy W. LG had as many hits(3) as they did errors(3). Hanhwa shortstop Lee Dae-su finished 2-5 with a double, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.

Nexen 4, KIA 3 (11)
W - Son Seung-rok (1-1), L - Lee Dong-hyeon (0-2)
Nexen HR - None KIA HR - None

KIA starter Aquilino Lopez pitched well enough to earn a W, but didn't receive any support and was saddled with an ND. Lopez threw 7 2/3 innings(109 pitches, 68 strikes) of 2-run baseball. Lopez gave up 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. At the end of 9 innings, the Heroes and Tigers found themselves deadlocked at 2-2. KIA broke the tie in the top of the 10th on and RBI single from backup infielder Park Ki-nam. Nexen would not go quietly into the night. Nexen tied the game in the bottom of the 10th on an RBI single from pinch hitter Jo Jae-ho. Nexen reliever Son Seung-rok put the Tigers down quickly in the top of the 11th. In the bottom of the 11th, the Heroes loaded the bases with 2 outs. KIA reliever Lee Dong-hyeon uncorked a wild pitch and the go-ahead run was able to scamper to the plate.

SK 9, Lotte 7
W - Song Eun-beom (4-1), L - Song Seung-joon (1-3), S - Lee Seung-ho (9)
SK HR - Park Jeong-kwon (3) Lotte HR - Park Jong-yoon 2(2), Karim Garcia (4)

SK starter Song Eun-beom was victimized by the long ball, but he was able to keep Lotte off the bases and avoid the knock out punch. Song threw 6 innings(96 pitches, 56 strikes) and gave up 4 runs. Song only allowed 4 hits and 1 hit batsman while striking out 3. Lotte starter Song Seung-joon was just knocked out. Song was battered for 7 runs during his 4 1/3 innings of work. SK catcher Park Kyeong-wan went 2-4 with a walk, a double, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Age is just a number. SK rookie outfielder Lim Hoon went 3-4 with a triple, a stolen base and 2 RBIs. Lotte first baseman Park Jong-yoon was the only Giant to have any success against Song. Park finished the evening 2-4 with 2 homers, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored.

Samsung 9, Doosan 7
W - Kwon Hyeok (1-0), L - Jo Seung-su (1-1), S - Oh Seung-hwan (3)
Samsung HR - Yang Joon-hyeok (1) Doosan HR - Yang Eui-ji (5)

This game was everything I hate about baseball. It took about 4 1/2 hours to complete 9 innings. Both teams combined to use 12 pitchers. I think at one point during the 6th inning time actually stopped. Samsung starter Jang Won-sam didn't do very well against the Doosan offense. He was knocked around for 5 runs during his 4 innings of work. Doosan pitcher Jang Min-ik made his first career KBO start. It was completely forgettable. The 207 cm. pitcher was knocked out of the game in the 3rd inning. Jang was a first round draft pick last August and is clearly not ready for KBO hitters. I really don't know why Doosan made the choice to rush this kid to the KBO. He has improved since his senior year of high school. His mechanics appear to be much smoother, but he's not ready to make the leap from high school to professional baseball. Last night was a night for veteran Lions. DH Yang Joon-hyeok went 2-3 with a walk, a home, 1 RBI and 3 runs scored. Right fielder Park Han-yi went 2-4 with a double 4 RBIs and 1 run scored. Doosan third baseman Lee Won-seok, shortstop Son Si-yeon and catcher Yang Eui-ji all drove in 2 runs apiece.