The KIA Tigers won 11-9 against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon in the KBO League held on the 13th, recording their 5th consecutive win. Ko Jong-wook (center) is being congratulated by his teammates after hitting a three-run home run in the top of the third inning.

The KIA Tigers, the leader in professional baseball, defeated the Hanwha Eagles after a long struggle and won 5 games in a row.

KIA won 11-9 with all starters recording hits in the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League away game held at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 13th.

As a result, KIA achieved 5 consecutive wins starting from the Gwangju LG Twins match on the 9th and solidified its lead with 13 wins and 4 losses.

‘Native ace’ Yang Hyeon-jong allowed 5 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, and 2 runs in 6 innings and succeeded in hunting for his first win in 4 games of the season. In addition, it was his 169th win in his personal career.

In the batting lineup, Socrates Brito hit hard with 3 hits in 5 at-bats, 4 RBIs, and 1 run, and Jong-wook Ko also contributed to the victory by hitting a 3-run home run. Choi Hyung-woo hit a double and was only four away from reaching 4,000 bases for the second time in history.

Hanwha (9 wins, 9 losses), who missed the opportunity to come back with bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the 8th inning, lost to KIA for two consecutive days and fell into a severe slump with 1 wins and 7 losses in the last 8 games.

Hanwha's mound management plan was disrupted when starting pitcher Kim Min-woo threw only 4 balls and voluntarily retired due to elbow pain. Han Seung-ju, who took the mound as the second pitcher, was hit in the top of the third inning and bowed his head after allowing six runs in 2⅓ innings. KIA, who consistently scored 7 points, 5 points, 8 points, and 8 points in 4 games this week, showed off their tremendous explosive power on this day as well. As the batting order rotated in the top of the third inning, KIA batters carpet-bombed the Hanwha mound. With 2 outs and runners on third base, Kim Do-young's triple broke the score of 0, and Choi Hyeong-woo's double made it 2-0.

Here, Socrates' batted ball flew high, but ended up being a lucky, timely hit that fell between the center fielder and shortstop. The heated KIA batting line continued to throw a shower of punches. Lee Woo-sung's single put the runners on first and second base with two outs, and Ko Jong-wook hit Han Seung-joo's slider over the left-center fence.

KIA continued its offensive. In the top of the 4th inning, a hit, an error, and an intentional walk created an opportunity with the bases loaded with 2 outs, followed by Socrates' 2 RBI double. They added 1 and 2 points in the top of the 6th and 7th inning, respectively, taking a large lead of 11-2. The game, which seemed likely to end in KIA's easy victory, changed after Yang Hyun-jong was replaced. Hanwha launched a fierce counterattack by pounding the KIA bullpen.

Hanwha started with Noh Si-hwan's 2 RBI timely hits with bases loaded and 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th inning, followed by Kim Tae-yeon and Lee Jae-won's 1 RBI timely hits. And with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd base, In-ho Choi hit a 3-run home run against Joong-hyun Yoon, bringing the lead to 9-11, 2 points. KIA was also shaken in the bottom of the 8th inning when the 5th pitcher, Kwak Do-gyu, had poor ball control, allowing the bases to be loaded with no outs.

The sixth pitcher, Jeon Sang-hyun, saved the Tigers from a crisis that could have resulted in a reversal. Jeon Sang-hyun put Noh Si-hwan out with a 2nd baseman's infield fly after a 9-pitch battle, then led Kim Tae-yeon to a grounder on the first pitch, turning it into a double play and not giving up a single run. KIA maintained their 2-run victory with Choi Ji-min taking the mound in relief at first base in the top of the 9th inning and recording 3 outs without allowing any runs. 스포츠토토맨