It was a big game from Kim Young-woong, who makes you smile just looking at him.
Samsung won 6-0 in the second game of a three-game midweek series against the LG Twins in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Thursday. The win clinched the best-of-seven series early. The four-game winning streak improved their record to 15-1-1 on the season.
Samsung dominated LG from the start of the game. It started with starting pitcher Lee Seung-hyun (#57). The left-handed pitcher kept LG’s lefties in check. Sure, he tried to be too perfect and gave up six walks, but he was perfect in his follow-up at-bats and didn’t allow a single run.
Lee was outstanding throughout the game, shutting down the opposing offense until the fifth inning. His final line was five innings of no-hit ball, eight strikeouts and six walks, setting a new career-high for strikeouts in a single game.
If Lee Seung-hyun was on the mound, Kim Young-woong shined at the plate. He hit his first career back-to-back home runs and a multi-homer game to help his team win. He led off the bottom of the second inning with a solo shot (his sixth of the season) off opposing ace Casey Kelly to make it 2-0. One out later in the fourth inning, he made it 3-0 with a solo home run (No. 7 of the season) over the right-field bleachers.
Between the home run and the RBI single, Kim continued to harass the LG mound throughout the game. In the bottom of the sixth inning, with runners on first and second, he hit an RBI double off Kelly to make it 4-0. Samsung then added a run on a fielder’s choice to make it 5-0, and Kim Ji-chan delivered the 6-0 KO punch with an RBI single.
Samsung head coach Park Jin-man was full of praise for his team after the game, especially for Lee Seung-hyun and Kim Young-woong, who heaped praise on the defending champions. “We showed a perfect two-hit balance. The pitchers did a great job with one hit and no runs. Our starting pitcher, Lee Seung-hyun, pitched well for the second game in a row. After Won Tae-in, I feel like we have another homegrown ace to lead the Samsung starting lineup,” said Lee.
“The hero of the day (24th) was Kim Young-woong. He put on a one-man show at the plate (with multiple home runs and RBIs) and took the lead in attacking the opposing ace. We are grateful to the fans who came to the stadium,” he added.
Samsung went 1-1-2 in a three-game series against LG at Jamsil Stadium from June 26-28 last month. The 28th game in particular was a humiliating defeat, with the team conceding 18 runs in a single game. This series, however, is different. Samsung won the first 사설토토 game 7-3 behind Lee Sung-kyu’s no-hitter, followed by a 6-0 sweep thanks to Kim Young-woong’s multi-homer game. The home run barrage from Lee Sung-gyu and Kim Young-woong made Park smile.
Samsung, meanwhile, chose Young-gun Lee as their starting pitcher on the 25th. He is 3-1 with a 5.19 ERA in 8⅔ innings pitched this season. He has a tendency to cruise through the first inning or two before faltering in the third. The team will need to get over the hump if they want to sweep the series.
LG is expected to start Choi Won-tae. Choi hasn’t had a quality start (3 earned runs or less in 6 innings pitched) in the four games since the start of the season. He turned things around in the last game (against the SSG Landers in Incheon on the 19th) with six innings of one-run ball.
Will Samsung sweep the series, or will LG fight back at least once? The game between the two teams will be held at Samsung Lions Park on the 25th at 6:30 pm.