KBO Recap: KIA Tigers 4-3 KT Wiz | September 04 Highlights & Scores

Game Summary

The KIA Tigers edged out the KT Wiz in a thrilling ten-inning contest at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Wednesday, September 4th. What looked like a comfortable KT victory for much of the evening unraveled in the late innings, with the Tigers mounting a comeback fueled by stellar relief pitching and opportunistic hitting. The final score of 4-3 represented a dramatic turn of fortune for KIA, who improved to 64-2-52 while KT remained atop the standings at 69-3-44.

The game stayed relatively tight throughout the first six innings, with Bae Je-sung delivering a gem for the Wiz. The KT starter surrendered just five hits across six scoreless innings, striking out five batters and walking only two. That dominant outing was undone, however, by the bullpen’s inability to protect a two-run lead in the eighth and ninth innings. KIA’s Oller had been nearly as effective, allowing just two runs on three hits through 6⅔ innings while fanning ten.

What made this loss particularly sting for KT was how it came about. The Wiz controlled most of the game, built their advantage methodically, and seemed destined to add another win to their first-place perch. But baseball has a way of humbling the comfortable, and the Tigers’ patient approach in the late game finally paid dividends when Byun Woo-hyeok stepped up with the bases loaded in the tenth inning and delivered a sacrifice fly to center field for the game-winner.

Pitching Performance

The pitching battle showcased two entirely different approaches. KT’s Bae Je-sung was magnificent through six innings, but his exit marked the beginning of the end for the Wiz’s bullpen. Sugimoto took the mound in the eighth and immediately faced trouble—the Japanese reliever allowed a walk, gave up a hit, and was charged with a wild pitch that allowed runners to advance. By the time he departed, three runs had crossed, completely erasing KT’s lead.

Son Dong-hyeon provided some stability with 1⅔ scoreless innings, but the damage was already done. Ju Gwon, the losing pitcher, couldn’t escape a bases-loaded situation in the tenth, serving up the sacrifice fly to Byun that ended matters. On the KIA side, Cho Sang-woo picked up the win despite throwing just one inning, a testament to how compressed the deciding moments became. The Tigers cycled through five pitchers total, with Oller’s length giving them the foundation they needed despite the late-game fireworks.

Offensive Highlights

The KT Wiz generated their three runs through a combination of timely hits and situational awareness. Won-jun Choi went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Huh Kyung-min added two hits in four at-bats. Kim Sang-soo made the most of his single opportunity, driving in two runs with one swing—a reminder that sometimes one swing tells the whole story.

KIA’s offense was less explosive but more clutch when it mattered. Ho-yeon Lee went 1-for-3 with an RBI and also contributed a triple in the sixth inning. Han Jun-soo had perhaps the most critical hit of the game, a two-bagger in the eighth that sparked KIA’s comeback. Byun Woo-hyeok’s sacrifice fly might not look spectacular in the box score, but it’ll be the only line from this game that anyone remembers come playoff time.

Key Play of the Game

There was no question which moment changed everything: Byun Woo-hyeok’s tenth-inning sacrifice fly with the bases loaded. Coming against Ju Gwon, who couldn’t get out of his own way in that inning, the fly ball to center field was a simple, elegant finish to KT’s hopes. The Wiz had manufactured several scoring opportunities throughout the game but couldn’t convert them at critical junctures. By contrast, KIA needed just one chance, and they took it without hesitation.

Earlier in the game, Ho-yeon Lee’s triple in the sixth inning was a sign of things to come—the Tigers would eventually find a way to make their pressure felt. A throwing error by Han Jun-soo in the eighth also created additional base-running opportunities for KT, though the Wiz couldn’t fully capitalize. Won-jun Choi stole a base in the eighth, as did Kim Do-young and Kim Min-gyu in the ninth, showing that both teams were trying to manufacture runs in any way possible.

Standings Impact

This loss ensures that KT’s comfortable lead atop the standings will be tested in the final month of the season. At 69-3-44, the Wiz remain comfortably ahead, but the Tigers’ victory keeps hope alive for the playoff spots below. KIA climbs to 64-2-52 and remains in fourth place, still several games back but no longer feeling entirely out of the picture after this dramatic win.

For context, KT’s dominance this season has been remarkable, but losses like this one—surrendered in the late innings rather than built in them—have a way of wearing on teams’ confidence. The Wiz will need to address their bullpen depth as the calendar turns toward October. KIA, meanwhile, will take this moral victory and the two points that come with it, knowing they can win baseball games even when they’re not the obvious choice to do so.