It was a must-win game, but the result was a series of losses.
The Kia Tigers’ fall baseball season is at a red light. Kia lost 5-6 against SSG Landers at Landers Field in Incheon on the 1st. On the 30th, the Tigers dropped another extra-inning game at SSG, this time in a close, 10-inning, 3-4 loss.
Both matches left a lot to be desired. Against SSG on the 30th, with a three-run lead, starter Yang Hyun-jong pitched a quality start (6+ innings, 3 earned runs or less), giving up one run in the sixth inning. However, the bats failed to capitalize on the SSG mound as Yang gave up the tying run in the bottom of the seventh. Closer Jung Hae-young came back for the ninth and 10th innings, but ultimately gave up the game-winning hit to Kim Sung-hyun.
The first day’s game is even more disappointing when you look back on it.
KIA took the lead in the top of the first inning when Socrates hit a two-run double, but with runners on first and third, Choi Joo-hwan’s grounder to the second baseman was dropped by Kim Sun-bin as he tried to make the catch. In the next at-bat, Ha Jae-hoon tried to turn a double play with a throw to second base, but he was unsuccessful.메이저사이트
KIA then loaded the bases in every inning until the fifth, but failed to capitalize on their chances. SSG starter Song Young-jin narrowly tied the game in the top of the sixth inning against Choi Min-jun, but the bullpen lost momentum in the bottom of the inning when they gave up two runs to the SSG bats.
Trailing 3-5, KIA tied the game in the top of the ninth against SSG closer Seo Jin-yong. In the bottom of the ninth, they made a gambit of replacing Jung Hae-young, who came on after the second out of the eighth inning, with Jeon Sang-hyun at first base to prevent a run and extend the game. However, after failing to capitalize on a runner on first and second base in the top of the 10th, they gave up the game-winning hit to Heredia on the ensuing defense. It was the second straight shutout loss.
The loss dropped KIA’s season record to 64-2 and 65-2, leaving them 2.5 games behind fifth-place SSG (67-3 and 63-2). With 13 games left in the regular season, the chances of KIA making it to the top five are looking increasingly slim, given the strength of their batting lineup, which has dropped significantly since Na Sung-bum and Choi Hyung-woo went down for the season, their recent losing streak, and the behavior of their rivals in the standings. To make matters worse, the seventh-place Lotte Giants have been riding a winning streak lately and are gaining ground, so it’s not just a matter of falling, but falling hard.
For the second year in a row, KIA dreamed of leaping to higher heights beyond the fall baseball season. At one point in the second half, they seemed to be close to achieving their goal with a nine-game winning streak, but a brutal September has sapped their strength, and their breathing is becoming more ragged towards the end. After two straight losses against Incheon, KIA’s time is coming to an end.