'Korea's Top Ace' An Woo-jin Earns Win After 981 Days! Kiwoom Breaks Two-Game Losing Streak, Doosan's Four-Game Winning Streak Thwarted [Gocheok On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom Heroes snapped their two-game losing streak and halted Doosan Bears' four-game winning streak. 'Ace' An Woo-jin (27) became the winning pitcher after a remarkable 981 days.

On the 2nd, Kiwoom defeated Doosan 4-2 in a home game at Gocheok Sky Dome, located in Guro-gu, Seoul, during the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League'. Trailing 1-2, Kiwoom added three runs to turn the game around.

With this victory, Kiwoom successfully avenged their loss to Doosan the previous day (the 1st). Meanwhile, Doosan's three-game winning streak, which had continued since their April 29 game against Jamsil Samsung, came to an end.

Kiwoom's starting lineup for the day was: Lee Hyung-jong (left fielder), Kim Geon-hee (catcher), Ahn Chi-hong (second baseman), Choi Ju-hwan (designated hitter), Im Byung-wook (right fielder), Park Soo-jong (center fielder), Brooks (first baseman), Yang Hyeon-jong (third baseman), and Kwon Hyuk-bin (shortstop). The starting pitcher was An Woo-jin.

Doosan countered with the following batting order: Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Cameron (right fielder), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Ahn Jae-seok (third baseman), Yang Seok-hwan (designated hitter), Oh Myung-jin (first baseman), and Jung Soobin (center fielder). Wes Benjamin started on the mound for Doosan.

Kiwoom took the lead first. In the bottom of the 1st inning, Lee Hyung-jong's batted ball to the third baseman resulted in an error. Lee Hyung-jong successfully stole second base, putting him on second with no outs. Kim Geon-hee then hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Lee and making it 1-0.

In the top of the 4th inning, Doosan turned the game around. Once again, an error played a key role. Leadoff batter Cameron hit a ground ball to the second baseman but reached base safely due to an error. Next, Park Jun-soon hit a single to left field off An Woo-jin, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Following that, Yang Eui-ji hit a two-run double to left-center field, giving Doosan a 2-1 lead.

However, Kiwoom immediately responded. In the bottom of the 4th inning with one out, Park Soo-jong drew a walk, and Brooks hit a single to left field. Yang Hyeon-jong then hit a sacrifice fly to left-center field, tying the game at 2-2. Kwon Hyuk-bin followed with a two-run single to center field, extending Kiwoom's lead to 4-2.

An Woo-jin pitched well through five innings before handing the mound to left-handed reliever Park Jeong-hoon. Doosan failed to exploit Kiwoom's bullpen. Struggling against Park Jeong-hoon, Doosan managed only one walk over two innings and failed to score any runs. They were shut down by Won Jong-hyun in the 8th inning and Yuto in the 9th inning, ending the game.

An Woo-jin delivered a strong performance over five innings, allowing three hits, striking out five batters, and giving up two runs (one earned). He became the winning pitcher for the first time since August 25, 2023, against Daegu Samsung, after a span of 981 days. In the lineup, Yang Hyeon-jong added offensive firepower with two hits and one RBI in three at-bats, while Kwon Hyuk-bin contributed with one hit and two RBIs in three at-bats.

Doosan's starter Wes Benjamin became the losing pitcher after pitching 3⅔ innings, allowing five hits, three walks, striking out four batters, and giving up four runs (three earned). He could not overcome the fallout from the error in the 1st inning. The second pitcher, Choi Jun-ho, pitched 2⅓ innings scorelessly, allowing one hit and striking out one batter, holding the line well, but Doosan's batters ultimately failed to exploit Kiwoom's bullpen.

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*This content was translated by AI.