kt won 8-0 in the match against SSG of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 1st, thanks to starter Ko Young-pyo’s 8 scoreless innings. kt (45 wins, 43 losses, 2 draws), which has been on a steep rise since the end of the first half, started fighting for 3rd place with 4 consecutive wins on the rise. On the other hand, SSG (50 wins, 36 losses, 1 draw), which ranked second in the league, lost two consecutive victories due to Ko Young-pyo’s counterattack.
https://displayad.zum.com/NetInsight/html/zum/news/newspage@newszum_pc_250Koh Young-pyo gave the best pitching. Koh Young-pyo got 6 hits with a good mix of long hits in 8 innings that day, but he endured with 4 walks, 4 strikeouts and no runs, and won his 9th victory of the season. It was also the 15th quality start he recorded (three earned runs or less in six or more innings of work) in his 18th start of the season. Lee Sang-dong was responsible for the first inning left by Koh Young-pyo.
The batting line struggled a bit due to opposing starter Kirk McCarty, but scored the minimum number of points necessary for victory by scoring 1 point each in the 3rd and 4th innings, and scored 6 points in the 8th inning. Jang Seong-woo had a multi-hit game, including a solo home run in the 4th inning, and Kim Min-hyeok, who had a good hitting feel, led the team’s batting line by playing an active role with 1 hit, 1 walk and 1 RBI in 3 at-bats. Moon Sang-cheol hit a timely hit with two RBIs in the 8th inning, and Park Byung-ho hit a two-run home run to seal the wedge.
On the other hand, in SSG, starter McCarty threw well with 3 hits (1 home run), 7 strikeouts and 2 runs in 7 innings, but he cried because he was not supported by the other line. The other line could not find a clue to Go Young-pyo’s attack. Of the six hits against Ko Young-pyo, Ha Jae-hoon, Heredia Choi Ju-hwan, and Choo Shin-soo pulled out doubles, aiming for scoring opportunities, but were helpless in scoring chances. ‘
While Koh Young-pyo and McCarty showed a good start based on different weapons, kt made the first point to break the balance in the third inning. After leader Kim Sang-soo chose a walk, Park Kyung-soo backed up with a left-handed hit to make first and second bases. Bae Jung-dae retreated with a floating ball in left field, but Kim Min-hyeok hit a timely hit in the middle right and scored first.
KT missed the opportunity as both Alford and Moon Sang-cheol struck out in the next 1 company, 2nd and 3rd base opportunities. However, after one out in the fourth inning, Seong-Woo Jang hit a solo home run against McCarty to soothe the disappointment and lead 2-0.
Afterwards, kt was blocked by McCarty and was unable to break through. But what was frustrating was the same with SSG. In SSG, Ha Jae-hoon’s double hit after 2 shots in the 2nd inning, and Heredia’s double hit after 2 shots in the 4th inning, but no follow-up hit came out. In the 6th inning, leader Kim Min-sik went to base with an infield hit, but the opportunity was also lost.
In the 7th inning, trailing by 0-2, Choi Jeong’s heavy hit from the lead, and Choi Joo-hwan’s double in the middle left after a run gave him a golden opportunity of 1 run, 2nd and 3rd bases. However, following Ha Jae-hoon’s grounding to third base, Choi Ji-hoon also hit the ground with a floating ball from center fielder. In the 8th inning, Choo Shin-soo hit a double through left center after two outs, but Park Seong-han stopped shortstop grounder.
Then kt scored an extra point in the last attack in the 8th inning and drove a wedge. After 2 outs in the 8th inning, Kim Min-hyeok picked a walk after an 11-pitch match and harassed SSG’s second pitcher Lee Ro-un. Alford also walked to base and created opportunities for first and second base.
Here, Moon Sang-cheol hit a timely hit that flowed along the left field line, and both runners home on this hit, completely taking the initiative. Park Byeong-ho then hit a 2-run homer (Season No. 9) against third pitcher Jung Sung-gon and ran away to 6-0. Hwang Jae-kyun followed up with a timely hit that flew to the right fence, and Kim Sang-soo’s heavy timely hit, promptly engraving the number 8-0 on the signboard. SSG, whose flow had already collapsed, had no power to pursue further.