Game Summary
The LG Twins dismantled the KT Wiz on Monday night, coasting to a 9-1 victory in front of a humid crowd at Jamsil Stadium. What began as a competitive matchup quickly spiraled into a rout, with the Twins’ offense overwhelming KT’s pitching staff by the fifth inning. The Wiz, despite their first-place standing, looked sluggish and undisciplined throughout, committing costly errors while their bats remained largely silent against LG starter Chan-gyu Im.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KT Wiz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| LG Twins | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 1 |
Chan-gyu Im proved too sharp for the Wiz lineup, scattering just three hits over six innings while striking out three. The right-hander worked with confidence, mixing his fastball effectively and forcing weak contact when ahead in the count. KT’s pitching, conversely, fell apart almost immediately. Starter Hyung-jun So surrendered nine hits and six runs across five innings, setting the tone for what would become an ugly afternoon for the defending first-place club.
Pitching Performance
Im’s outing was the story of the game from a pitching perspective. Though he allowed a solo homer to Hyun-min Ahn in the fourth, he never lost his composure, stranding runners repeatedly and avoiding the big inning. His control wavered slightly with one walk, but he induced three strikeouts and kept the Twins in front without much drama.
The relief work behind Im was equally solid. U-chan Lee, Jin-su Kim, and Jae-jun Bae combined for three scoreless innings, allowing nothing and striking out one. LG’s bullpen didn’t need to strain itself—the game was decided early enough that the Twins could afford to coast.
So’s performance was disappointing given his strong record coming into the contest. He couldn’t escape the second inning without trouble and grew worse as the game progressed. By the time he exited after five frames, he’d given up six runs on nine hits. The KT relief corps didn’t fare much better. Kwon Ju, Min-su Kim, and Jung-hyun Lee combined to allow three more runs while walking four batters between them. That lack of command proved fatal in a game this lopsided.
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KT Wiz | ||||||
| Soh Hyung-jun [L] | 5 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| Joo Kwon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kim Min-soo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Lee Jung-hyun | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| LG Twins | ||||||
| Im Chan-gyu [W] | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Lee Woo-chan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kim Jin-su | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bae Jae-jun | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Offensive Highlights
Chan-ui Song got the Twins rolling early with an RBI single in the first inning with runners in scoring position and two outs. That hit, seemingly minor at the time, proved to be the difference-maker psychologically—it put the Twins ahead immediately and set the tone for an evening of aggressive baserunning and timely hitting.
The real damage came later. Jung-bin Moon crushed a grand slam in the fifth inning off So, accounting for four of LG’s nine runs in one swing. Moon also added a double later, finishing 2-for-5 with five RBIs. Song added another hit in the fifth and drove in three runs total, becoming the second most productive hitter in an LG uniform on the night.
Min-jae Shin contributed quietly with two hits, while Hae-min Park went 2-for-2 in limited opportunities. Those quiet contributions mounted quickly in a game where the Twins’ offense piled on runs rather than relying on one big inning.
For KT, Hyun-min Ahn was the sole bright spot. His eighth home run of the season in the fourth inning accounted for the Wiz’s only run. Beyond that solo shot, KT mustered little—just scattered hits and a generally uninspired approach at the plate.
| Batter | AB | H | R | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KT Wiz | |||||
| Ahn Hyun-min | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| LG Twins | |||||
| Shin Min-jae | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Park Hae-min | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Moon Jung-bin | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Song Chan-ui | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Key Plays
Song’s first-inning single proved pivotal because it came with two outs and runners on second and third—the type of clutch situation that either deflates or energizes an offense. The hit went into left field and gave LG’s dugout instant confidence.
Moon’s grand slam in the fifth was the exclamation point. With the game still somewhat competitive, his blast to deep left field turned it into a blowout. So grooved a fastball that Moon didn’t miss.
Defensively, KT committed two errors that cost them. Ji-hwan Oh’s miscue in the fifth and a mistake by Hilliard in the seventh both led to unearned advantages for the Twins. Those lapses, combined with South Korean baserunning—Won-jun Choi stole a base in the fifth, and Park swiped another in the seventh—showed a team that stayed engaged while KT seemed to drift.
Standings Impact
The loss does little to dent KT’s commanding first-place position. The Wiz maintain their lead at 64-3-41 over LG’s 61-1-50 record. Still, in late August, wins and losses carry extra weight as teams jostle for playoff positioning. For LG, the victory keeps them within striking distance of the upper tier, though they remain three games back in third place.