Game Summary
The Kiwoom Heroes scratched out a 5-3 victory over the SSG Landers on Saturday night at Gocheok Sky Dome, improving to 38-2-64 on the season. It wasn’t pretty baseball—neither team could string together consistent offense—but the Heroes capitalized on two crucial home runs in the seventh inning to break open a tight contest that had been knotted at 2-2 heading into the middle frames.
SSG’s bats showed flashes of competence early. Park Sung-han went 3-for-5 and drove in a run, while Jeon Ui-san collected two hits across five at-bats. But the Landers managed just three runs total, leaving runners stranded repeatedly and unable to mount any sustained pressure against a Kiwoom bullpen that tightened considerably after the fourth inning.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSG Landers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Kiwoom Heroes | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
For the Heroes, it was a team effort fueled by long balls. Kim Woong-bin’s two-hit night included a solo shot in the seventh, and Davidson, the American slugger, delivered the go-ahead home run in that same inning off SSG reliever Noh Kyung-eun. Those two swings essentially settled the affair, giving Kiwoom enough breathing room to withstand whatever late-game pressure the Landers might muster.
Pitching Performance
SSG’s starter Avila worked four innings, allowing six hits and three runs while issuing four walks. He struck out eight but never seemed to find his rhythm, constantly working from behind in the count. The Landers’ bullpen tried to compensate, with several arms combining to keep things from spiraling, but the damage was ultimately done once Noh Kyung-eun took the loss after recording just one-third of an inning in the seventh.
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSG Landers | ||||||
| AVILA | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Kim Min | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Moon Seung-won | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Noh Kyung-eun [L] | 0 ⅓ | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Jeon Young-jun | 1 ⅓ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jo Byung-hyun | 0 ⅓ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kiwoom Heroes | ||||||
| Jeon Jun-pyo | 4 ⅔ | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Park Ji-sung | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Kim Sung-min [W] | 1 ⅓ | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Won Jong-hyun [H] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yuto [S] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Kiwoom’s Jeon Jun-pyo matched Avila’s early struggles, pitching 4⅔ innings and surrendering four hits and two runs. Like his counterpart, Jeon walked four batters, suggesting both teams were operating in a rather sloppy fashion through the middle innings. The pivotal difference came in the bullpen construction. Kim Sung-min earned the win with 1⅓ clean innings, while closer Yu-to notched the save by retiring the side in the ninth with minimal fuss.
Park Ji-sung threw one inning for Kiwoom but walked three batters in the process—a sign that command was at a premium all evening. Won Jong-hyun worked a scoreless frame, essentially bridging the gap between Kim’s effective relief work and Yu-to’s tidy save situation.
Offensive Highlights
Park Sung-han was the Landers’ most productive hitter, finishing 3-for-5 with an RBI. Han Yu-seom added a hit and an RBI as well, and Kim Jae-hwan drove in a run despite going 0-for-1, suggesting he may have had a pinch-hit appearance or walked with the bases loaded. Jeon Ui-san’s two hits demonstrated some life in the SSG lineup, but it was never quite enough to overcome the Heroes’ power display.
| Batter | AB | H | R | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSG Landers | |||||
| Park Sung-han | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kim Jae-hwan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jeon Ui-san | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Han Yu-seom | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kiwoom Heroes | |||||
| Seo Geon-chang | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davidson | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| An Chi-hong | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kim Woong-bin | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Im Byeong-wook | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kim Geon-hui | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Heroes’ offensive story revolved almost entirely around the seventh inning. Davidson, who finished 1-for-3, made his one hit count—a solo home run that gave Kiwoom a 4-2 lead. Kim Woong-bin followed two batters later with a solo blast of his own, extending the advantage to 5-2. Those back-to-back power displays proved decisive.
Seo Geon-chang was 2-for-3 and also contributed a stolen base in the first inning, keeping the Heroes’ running game active. Lim Byung-wook chipped in with two hits, and An Chi-hong drove in a run from the bottom of the lineup. Nothing flashy, but Kiwoom’s hitters did enough when it mattered most.
Key Play
The pivotal moment arrived in the seventh with no outs and the score tied 2-2. Davidson connected on a Noh Kyung-eun fastball and sent it down the left-field line for a home run, giving the Heroes a 3-2 edge. One batter later, Kim Woong-bin launched another solo shot to make it 5-2, effectively ending any realistic comeback hopes for SSG. The Landers never recovered from that one-two punch, though they scraped together one more run later in the game.
Standings Impact
The Heroes remain mired in tenth place with this victory, now sitting at 38-2-64. The Landers fell to 39-4-60 and stayed in ninth, both teams still wallowing in the basement of the KBO standings. Neither squad showed the consistency required to make a late-season push, and tonight’s outcome only underscored their struggles this season.