“Congratulations on your first victory in nine years”…Hong Won-ki smiles after Ha Young-min’s win

Kiwoom Heroes head coach Hong Won-ki applauded his starting pitcher Ha Young-min for his performance.

Kiwoom won 8-3 in the second game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League against LG at the Gocheok Sky Dome on Tuesday. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak and secured their first win of the season.

The Kiwoom bats came out hot in the first inning to take advantage of LG starter Lim Chan-kyu. In the top of the second inning, Lee Hyung-jong doubled, Kim Hwijip singled, and scored on a wild pitch to take a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the third, Lee Won-seok’s sacrifice fly and Kim Hwijip’s RBI double made it 6-0. There were some unearned runs. In the bottom of the inning, the LG bats gave up three solo home runs to cut the deficit to 6-3, but Song Sung-moon and Park Soo-jong hit RBI singles to make it 8-3.

Kiwoom shut down the LG bats on the day, led by a strong performance from starting pitcher Ha Young-min. Ha threw 70 pitches over five innings, allowing just two hits, three walks, and one strikeout while striking out one to earn the win. It’s been nine years since his last start on Sept. 23, 2015, against the Mokdong SK Wyverns. The bullpen of Cho Sang-woo (⅔ innings, one run), Joo Seung-woo (1⅓ scoreless innings), Kim Jae-woong (1 inning, one run), and Kim Yeon-ju (1 inning, one run) also pitched well. Jo Sang-woo, Kim Jae-woong, and Kim Yeon-ju all gave up solo shots, but the team was able to protect the lead in the middle and late innings.

“Young-min Ha worked really hard over the winter to prepare,” said Hong, “and I think her hard work paid off from the first pitch. Congratulations to him on his first win in nine years.” He also praised the pitching staff, saying, “The rest of the pitching staff did their job, especially Joo Seung-woo, who did a great job in the clutch to keep us in the game.”

In the batting lineup, Lee Hyung-jong hit the game-winning hit against his hometown team LG. Park Soo-jong, Choi Ju-hwan, Song Sung-moon, and Kim Jae-hyun also contributed with multi-hit performances. It was especially encouraging to see veterans like Choi Ju-hwan and Lee Hyung-jong come alive and lead the team’s offense. Park Soo-jong, who started in center field, made a diving catch of Moon Sung-joo’s single with runners on first and second in the second inning to prevent the game from getting out of hand. Hong said, “Park Soo-jong did a great job on offense. He played a big role in securing the victory in the second inning and showed stable defense throughout the game. The performance of senior players such as Choi Joo-hwan and Lee Hyung-jong also contributed to the team’s victory,” Hong said with a thumbs-up.

Kiwoom hadn’t won a game this year until this day. They had lost their opening four games in a row since the 23rd against the Gwangju Kia Tigers. After five games, Kiwoom gave their home fans a meaningful gift. Hong thanked the players for their support despite the team’s 메이저사이트 slump. “The first win came late. I’m sure the fans have been waiting a lot, but I’m grateful for their continued support even in the early stages. I’m happy to be able to share a valuable victory with them today (30th),” he said after the win.

Kiwoom, meanwhile, will look for their first back-to-back wins of the season a day later (31st) with foreign pitcher Enmanuel de Jesus. De Jesus got off to a rough start in his first KBO start, giving up five runs (four earned) in 3⅓ innings against the Changwon NC Dinos, including a grand slam. Personally, he needs to turn things around. LG, on the other hand, will be led by ace Casey Kelly. Kelly, who has been using a forkball as a new weapon since last year, will take the mound and try to help his team win the series.

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