Baseball’s LG Twins swept a doubleheader from the SSG Landers with a 15-hit fireworks display.
LG defeated SSG 9-5 in the second game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League doubleheader at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Sunday.
Riding a four-game winning streak, including the first game, LG improved its record to 74 wins, 47 losses and two draws (0.612 winning percentage) and consolidated its position at the top of the league.
SSG (62W-59L-2D-0.512), which lost its fifth straight game, dropped to sixth place behind the Doosan Bears (63W-57L-1D-0.525) and KIA Tigers (60W-56L-2D-0.517), who also faced off on the day.
This is the first time defending champion SSG has fallen outside the top five this season.
SSG lost second place to KT WIZ on March 19 and has been slipping in the rankings since the beginning of the month.
SSG took the early lead.
In the top of the first inning, they got three consecutive hits against LG starter Im Chan-kyu to take the lead.
Park Sung-seong followed with a single to right to load the bases, but there was no follow-up hit.
SSG added one run in the top of the third inning on a single by Ha Jae-hoon.
With SSG unable to capitalize, LG quickly turned the tide in the bottom of the third with a trio of two-out hits.
With one out, Kim Hyun-soo and Austin Dean hit back-to-back doubles to right-center to tie the game at 2-2.
In the second inning, Moon Bo-kyung hit a two-run double to bring in Austin.
LG’s long ball show didn’t stop there.
In the top of the fourth inning, Heo Do-hwan pulled a fastball from SSG starter Kirk McCarty for a solo shot to left field. It was his second home run of the season.
LG scored three more runs in the fourth to make it a “big inning.
After an infield hit, Hong Chang-ki advanced to second on a throwing error by SSG second baseman Ahn Sung-hyun.
He then crossed home plate on Shin Min-jae’s single to left and Kim Hyun-soo’s sacrifice fly.
Austin followed with a triple to the right-center field fence, bringing home Shin from first base.
In the next at-bat, Moon Bo-kyung hit a grounder, but SSG shortstop Park Sung-yi made a throwing error, allowing the run to score.
LG scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth on RBI singles by Hong Chang-ki and Kim Hyun-soo.
SSG added one run each in the sixth, seventh, and ninth innings.
LG starter Im Chan-kyu pitched five innings of six hits, one walk, four strikeouts and two runs (two earned) to give way to SSG’s McCarty (3⅔ innings, nine hits, three walks, two strikeouts and seven runs). 스포츠토토