'W' and last-place Kiwoom secure first consecutive wins of the season → '9th' Lotte closes within 0.5 games! NC defeated by 'temporary starter' and 'foreign investor' [Gochok Field Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom Heroes secured their first consecutive wins of the season against NC Dinos. Despite being at a disadvantage in starting pitcher matchups by using an opener, they managed to catch a big fish by defeating a team that had a foreign pitcher on the mound.

On the 21st, Kiwoom defeated NC 2-1 in a '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League' game held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul. They took the lead in the 7th inning with a go-ahead run to win the game while tied 1-1.

With this victory, Kiwoom recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since their game against Suwon KT on the 19th, achieving their first consecutive wins of the season and closing the gap to 0.5 games behind 9th-place Lotte Giants. Meanwhile, NC failed to maintain their momentum from the 19th victory and could not secure consecutive wins.

NC lined up their batting order as follows: Kim Ju-won (shortstop), Oh Young-soo (designated hitter), Park Min-woo (second baseman), Davison (first baseman), Park Geon-woo (right fielder), Lee Woo-seong (left fielder), Seo Ho-cheol (third baseman), Kim Hyung-jun (catcher), and Cheon Jae-hwan (center fielder). Drew Buhagen started on the mound for NC.

Kiwoom set their starting lineup as follows: Park Ju-hong (designated hitter), Lee Ju-hyung (center fielder), An Chi-hong (second baseman), Brooks (first baseman), Kim Geon-hee (catcher), Park Chan-hyuk (right fielder), Choo Jae-hyun (left fielder), Song Ji-hoo (shortstop), and Kim Ji-seok (third baseman). The starting pitcher was Oh Seok-joo, who functioned more like an opener.

Kiwoom took the early lead. In the bottom of the 3rd inning with one out, Lee Ju-hyung hit a double to right field and reached scoring position. Although An Chi-hong was out on a groundout to shortstop, Brooks followed with a sacrifice fly to center-right field, giving Kiwoom a 1-0 lead.

However, NC tied the game in the top of the 5th inning. After one out, Kim Ju-won singled to center field, and Oh Young-soo was hit by a pitch, creating a 1st and 2nd base situation. Subsequently, Park Min-woo drew a walk to load the bases, and Davison hit a sacrifice fly to right field, tying the game at 1-1.

In the bottom of the 7th, Kiwoom regained the lead. Leadoff batter Kim Ji-seok reached base with a single to left field. Park Ju-hong then bunted foul and was called out on strikes. Despite the unfavorable situation with one out and a runner on first, Lim Ji-yeol hit a go-ahead double to right-center field, making it 2-1. While the throw home was made, Lim advanced to third base, though Kiwoom could not extend the lead further.

However, Kiwoom did not allow any runs after bringing in Kim Jae-woong as a setup man in the 8th inning, and closer Yuto closed out the 9th inning.

Kiwoom starter Oh Seok-joo held strong for 4⅓ innings, allowing 3 hits, striking out 6, walking 3, and giving up 1 run. Following him, Won Jong-hyun, Kim Sung-jin, Park Jeong-hoon, Kim Jae-woong, and Yuto all pitched scoreless innings. NC starter Buhagen held well for 5⅔ innings, allowing 7 hits, striking out 6, walking 1, and giving up 1 run, but received no support from his offense.

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*This content was translated by AI.