Wow! 'A home run to end the game right after returning from injury...' After an 11-inning battle, KT defeats KIA 6-5 [Suwon On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz forced the KIA Tigers into a three-game losing streak, successfully seizing the initiative in the weekend's three-game series.

On the 21st, at the Suwon KT Wiz Park, in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game against KIA, KT secured a 6-5 victory after an 11-inning battle, led by Kim Min-hyuk's walk-off solo home run with one out. With this win, KT overcame the shock of their loss on the 19th and improved their record to 14 wins and 6 losses. Meanwhile, KIA matched a .500 winning percentage with 10 wins and 10 losses.

On this day, KIA constructed its starting lineup in the following order: Dale (shortstop), Kim Ho-ryeong (center field), Kim Sun-bin (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (third base), Na Sung-beom (right field), Lee Ho-yeon (first base), Han Jun-soo (catcher), Park Min (second base), and Park Jae-hyun (left field). Kim Sun-bin, who had sat out the Jamsil Doosan Bears game on the 19th, returned to the lineup. The starting pitcher was Kim Tae-hyung.

In response, KT set its starting lineup as follows: Choi Won-jun (right field), Kim Min-hyuk (designated hitter), Kim Hyun-soo (first base), Jang Sung-woo (catcher), Hiliard (left field), Oh Yun-seok (third base), Kim Sang-soo (second base), Bae Jeong-dae (center field), and Lee Kang-min (shortstop). Kim Min-hyuk, returning from a shoulder injury, played his first game of the season. KT's starting pitcher was Oh Won-seok.

KT took the lead early, scoring two runs in the first inning and one in the second. In the bottom of the first, leadoff hitter Choi Won-jun reached base with an infield single to shortstop, then advanced to second base on a throwing error by Dale. Following a fly ball to center field by Kim Min-hyuk, Choi Won-jun tagged up and reached third base. The next batter, Kim Hyun-soo, targeted a slider from Kim Tae-hyung that crossed the strike zone on the fifth pitch of a 2-2 count, driving it over the right-field wall for a two-run lead. Kim Tae-hyung then walked Jang Sung-woo but retired the following two batters on routine grounders, preventing further runs.

KT added another run in the second inning. With one out, Bae Jeong-dae reached base with a double to right field, then scored on Lee Kang-min's sacrifice fly to center field, making the score 3-0.

KIA struggled to find any openings against Oh Won-seok's strong pitching. They failed to score a single run through the fifth inning, merely waiting for opportunities.

Eventually, KIA managed to score three runs in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game. With one out, Dale hit a deep infield single to shortstop, followed by Kim Ho-ryeong's hit to left-center field. Starter Oh Won-seok was then replaced by Kim Min-su. However, Kim Min-su struggled. Although he induced Kim Sun-bin to fly out to left field, Dale tagged up from second base and reached third base. The next batter, Kim Do-young, hit a sacrifice fly to left-center field, scoring the team's first run of the day. Na Sung-beom then followed with a two-run hit to left-center field, tying the game at 3-3.

However, the tie did not last long. In the top of the seventh, with KT on offense, KIA replaced their second pitcher, Choi Jimin, with their third pitcher, Lee Tae-yang. With one out, Lee Tae-yang allowed a single to left field by Kim Sang-soo and a single to right field by Bae Jeong-dae, putting runners on first and second. When Lee Kang-min flew out to right field, Kim Sang-soo tagged up from second base and reached third base. Lee Tae-yang was then replaced by Kim Beom-su on the mound.

The first pitch was a strike. Before throwing the second pitch, Kim Beom-su threw a pickoff throw to first base. At the same time, Bae Jeong-dae, the runner on first, became entangled in a rundown. During this play, the ball was thrown to Dale, who focused solely on tagging out the runner in the rundown at first base without checking the runner advancing from third base. Dale then threw the ball to the shortstop, resulting in a tag out. However, the runner from third base had already crossed home plate before the tag out occurred, increasing KT's lead to 4-3. For KIA, Dale's critical, unseen error was no exaggeration.

Although KIA might have been tempted to lose heart, they did not give up easily. They scored again in the top of the eighth, ultimately reversing the game. With KT having replaced pitcher Han Seung-hyuk with Sugimoto, leadoff hitter Kim Ho-ryeong reached base with a hit to left-center field and successfully stole second base. Kim Sun-bin then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing Kim Ho-ryeong home to tie the game at 4-4. KT then replaced Sugimoto with Son Dong-hyun. Kim Do-young hit a ground ball to shortstop, leaving only Kim Do-young on first base, while Na Sung-beom stepped up to the plate. Na Sung-beom immediately targeted Son Dong-hyun's first pitch, hitting a two-run double to left-center field, taking a 5-4 lead.

But KT showed resilience. They scored again in the eighth inning, tying the game once more. Against reliever Jo Sang-woo, pinch-hitter Lee Jeong-hoon drew a walk on a straight pitch. Lee Jeong-hoon was replaced by pinch-runner Yoo Jun-gyu. Kim Sang-soo executed a sacrifice bunt, creating a one-out, second-base opportunity. Although Bae Jeong-dae struck out, the next batter, Lee Kang-min, hit a sacrifice fly to left-center field, tying the game at 5-5. In the top of the ninth, KT brought in Park Young-hyun and retired the side on three consecutive grounders. In the bottom of the ninth, KT's final offensive inning, with one out, Kim Hyun-soo reached base with a single to center field. With two outs, Hiliard hit a single to center field, putting runners on first and second. However, Jang Jun-won was thrown out on a fly ball to third base, sending the game into extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th inning, with one out and no runners on base, Kim Min-hyuk hit a walk-off solo home run over the right-field wall off Hong Min-gyu.

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*This content was translated by AI.