6/4 Roundup and News

LG 6, Lotte 4
W - Park Hyeon-joon (8-2), L - Ryan Sadowski (2-4), S - Lim Chan-gyu (4)
LG HR - Cho In-seong (9) Lotte HR - None

Lotte actually held a 3-0 lead in this game...until LG rallied for six runs in the sixth inning.

Ryan Sadowski started the sixth by walking a batter and giving up a single to put runners on first and second with no outs. Sadowski got a ground ball out of DH Park Yong-taek, but first baseman Park Jong-yoon watched the ball bounce off his glove and into right field. One run scored on the play. The next batter, catcher Cho In-seong, gave LG their first lead with a three-run homer. When it rains it pours.

Sadowski was pulled after the homer, but reliever Lim Kyeong-wan didn't fare much better. Lim gave up two more runs to push the LG lead to 6-3. Lotte answered back with a run in the bottom of the seventh, but that was the only run they were able to get. Lotte made things exciting in the eighth by loading the bases with two outs, but LG reliever Lim Chan-gyu was able to pitch out of the jam.

LG starter Park Hyeon-joon continues to have a horseshoe up his butt. Park threw seven innings(113 pitches, 78 strikes) and gave up all four Lotte runs. Park allowed six hits and two walks while striking out six. He now leads the league with eight wins.

Lee Dae-ho played DH for Lotte and went 2-4 with a double and two RBIs in a losing cause.

Hanhwa 3, Nexen 1
W - Ma Il-yeong (1-2), L - Kim Seong-hyeon (2-3), S - Shin Ju-yeong (1)
Hanhwa HR - None Nexen HR - Kang Jeong-ho (2)

Hanhwa pushed across a run with a sac fly from second baseman Han Seong-hoon in the third and added another run with a RBI single from left fielder Choi Jin-haeng in the fifth. DH Jang Seong-ho gave Hanhwa a 3-0 lead with an RBI single in the seventh.

Nexen cut the Eagles' lead in half with a solo homer from shortstop Kang Jeong-ho in the eighth, but that was all the offense they could muster against the Hanhwa bullpen.

Hanhwa starter Kim Min-je threw 4 1/3 shutout innings(89 pitches, 55 strikes). He was lifted before Nexen could really inflict any damage. Kim gave up seven hits and three walks while striking out four.

Nexen starter Kim Seong-hyeon deserved better than a loss for his troubles. Kim gave up two runs over 6 1/3 innings(99 pitches, 53 strikes) of work. Kim gave up six hits and three walks while striking out six.

KIA 3, SK 2
W - Travis Blackley (4-3), L - Gary Glover (5-2), S - Son Yeong-min (1)
KIA HR - Lee Jong-beom (1) SK HR - Choi Joeng (6)

This game was a battle of one-run innings. KIA had exactly one more than SK and that wound up being the difference here.

SK tied the game at two after a bizarre sequence. With runners on first and second, KIA starter Travis Blackley had the runner on first caught in a run down and the KIA defense forgot about the runner on second until he was sliding into home.

KIA center fielder Lee Yong-gyu lead off the top of the eighth with an infield single and advanced on a wild pitch. Lee attempted to steal third and SK catcher Choi Kyeong-cheol bounced the throw into left field and Lee scampered home to give KIA a 3-2 lead.

KIA reliever Son Yeong-min threw a scoreless ninth for the save.

KIA starter Travis Blackley threw 7 1/3 innings(97 pitches, 63 strikes) of two-run baseball(only one earned). Big Trav gave up four hits and three walks while striking out three. Blackley recorded 11 outs via the ground ball.

SK starter Gary Glover threw 7 2/3 innings(109 pitches, 66 strikes) of three-run ball(two earned). Glover gave up seven hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out eight.

Samsung 11, Doosan 4
W - Ahn Ji-man (4-3), L - Hong Sang-sam (0-1)
Samsung HR - Park Seok-min (5), Jin Kab-yong (3) Doosan HR - None

Both starting pitchers were absolutely brutal in this game. Hong was chased from the game in the four and Samsung starter Bae Yeong-su didn't make it out of the third. The biggest difference was that Samsung used competent relief pitchers. Doosan didn't.

The Lions got six innings of scoreless relief work out of four relievers. Ahn Ji-man only gave up a base hit during 3 1/3 innings. For some reason, Doosan called on a trio of never-will-be's to keep them in the game. They all ended up getting knocked around.

Samsung third baseman Park Seok-min went 3-4 with a HBP, two doubles and a three-run homer. Second baseman Shin Myeong-cheol went 2-3 with two walks, a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Jin Kab-yong ended up 2-3 with a walk, a homer, four RBIs and two runs scored.