SSG Landers Stun LG Twins with Late-Game Heroics
The SSG Landers pulled off a dramatic comeback on August 14th, defeating the LG Twins 5-3 in a game that saw momentum shift dramatically in the eighth inning. Playing at home, SSG refused to go quietly despite trailing for much of the contest, with Kim Jae-hwan’s two-run homer proving to be the difference-maker when it mattered most.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSG Landers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
| LG Twins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
For six innings, the Twins appeared to have complete control. Song Seung-gi was operating effectively on the mound, allowing just four hits while striking out five through five frames. The LG offense had built what looked like a comfortable advantage, and there seemed little reason to believe the Landers would mount a serious threat. But baseball has a funny way of humbling the patient.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning, when SSG finally broke through. Im Geun-woo drove in a run to give the home team an early lead. LG answered immediately in the top of the sixth when Moon Jeong-bin belted a solo home run to knot things up at 1-1. The Twins weren’t done—they added another run to take a 2-1 advantage heading into the middle innings.
What happened next defined the game’s narrative. SSG’s pitching staff buckled down. Min Joon, Young Joon, and Seung-won combined to keep LG’s bats silent for three consecutive innings. The Landers’ hitters, meanwhile, continued to chip away, adding a run in the sixth to cut the deficit to one. The tension mounted with each passing inning.
Then came the eighth. With one out and a runner in scoring position, Kim Jae-hwan stepped into the box against Jin-sung Kim. The count worked in the hitter’s favor, and Kim didn’t miss his opportunity. He connected on a fastball that flew deep to center field—a two-run blast that gave SSG a 5-2 lead. The stadium erupted. What had been a tight, competitive game suddenly belonged to the Landers.
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSG Landers | ||||||
| Choi Min-jun | 5 ⅔ | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Kim Min | 0 ⅓ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jeon Young-jun [W] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Moon Seung-won [H] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jo Byung-hyun [S] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| LG Twins | ||||||
| Song Seung-ki | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Kim Young-woo | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Woo Kang-hoon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kim Jin-sung [L] | 0 ⅔ | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kim Jin-soo | 0 ⅓ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bae Jae-jun | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
LG made one last push in the ninth. Moon Jeong-bin connected for his second homer of the night off closer Cho Byung-hyun, narrowing the margin to 5-3. But SSG’s pitching held firm. Cho struck out one and escaped without further damage, securing the save and sending the Twins home disappointed.
Pitching Battle Decided by Late Miscue
The pitching matchup shaped up as a classic duel. Song Seung-gi looked sharp for LG through five innings, his five strikeouts evidence of his command. But he wouldn’t return for the sixth, and that’s where SSG found openings. Min Joon came in for one-third of an inning and kept the line clean. Young Joon, brought in as the winning pitcher, faced just three batters and retired them all without incident.
For SSG, Min-jun Choi delivered a quality start, allowing just two hits and two runs across five and two-thirds innings. His 3-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio showed he wasn’t just throwing strikes—he was painting corners. When the Landers turned to their bullpen, the transition proved seamless. Young Joon’s scoreless frame and Seung-won’s steady work paved the way for Cho’s save opportunity.
Jin-sung Kim, who’d been cruising through five innings, couldn’t escape the eighth. He surrendered Kim Jae-hwan’s go-ahead homer and took the loss. The Twins’ relievers after him couldn’t overcome the deficit. A late wild pitch by Jae-joon Bae in the ninth added to the frustration, though it didn’t prove decisive.
| Batter | AB | H | R | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSG Landers | |||||
| Park Sung-han | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kim Jae-hwan | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Jeon Ui-san | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Choi Ji-hun | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Im Geun-woo | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| LG Twins | |||||
| Song Chan-ui | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Austin | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Moon Jeong-bin | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Kim Jae-hwan Delivers When It Counts
If there was a singular moment that turned this game, it belonged to Kim Jae-hwan. His nineteenth home run of the season—a two-run shot in the eighth—swung a close contest decisively in SSG’s favor. Ji-hun Choi also made noise at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles. Park Sung-han contributed two hits as well, providing consistent contact when the team needed baserunners.
For LG, the bats were mostly quiet aside from Moon Jeong-bin’s two-homer performance. Song Chan-ui and Austin managed just one hit each, limiting the Twins’ ability to threaten after falling behind. That’s baseball sometimes—one team puts together enough to win, and the other doesn’t quite get there.
Looking at the Bigger Picture
The loss stings for LG, currently sitting in fourth place at 60-1-50. A win tonight would have been significant for their postseason positioning. Instead, SSG improves to 45-5-63, still in ninth but fighting to stay competitive. The Landers are 15 games behind the fourth-place Twins, but nights like this prove that every victory counts down the stretch.
These teams will likely meet again before season’s end. Next time, LG will be looking for revenge. For now, SSG celebrates a gutsy win built on late-inning execution.