'Five bases-loaded situations → 21 left on base': The 789-home-run trio went 3-for-17... SSG could not win even after walking 13 times [Incheon report]

*This content was translated by AI.

The team used eight pitchers. After falling behind, they fought back and had to bring in their entire bullpen. Although chances remained until the end, the result of the four-hour and 22-minute battle was a bitter tie.

In their home game against the NC Dinos at the Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 5th in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League, SSG could not decide the game even after 11 innings and ended in a 7-7 tie.

Both teams were left unsatisfied with the result. NC took the lead from the middle of the game with Park Geon-woo's two-run home run despite using a temporary starter, but they allowed a whopping 13 walks and struggled throughout the game.

However, it was SSG that felt even more bitter. They walked 13 times and had opportunities, including five bases-loaded situations, but left 21 runners on base and ultimately failed to secure a win.

This was a game where the poor performance of the core batting lineup felt even more painful. The third batter, Choi Jeong; the fourth batter, Guillermo Heredia; and the fifth batter, Han Yu-seom, failed to deliver their share. Despite the trio having hit a combined 789 home runs in their careers, they struggled today with 17 at-bats, 3 hits, and 7 strikeouts.

In the bottom of the first inning with two outs, Choi Jeong drew a walk, Heredia hit a single to right field, and Han Yu-seom drew a walk to load the bases, but they failed to capitalize on the decisive opportunity afterward, leading to sighs of frustration.

In the second inning, they had a bases-loaded opportunity with one out. Jung Jun-jae scored a run with a sacrifice fly, but after Choi Jeong drew a walk and the bases were loaded again, Heredia struck out. In the fourth inning, with no outs and bases loaded, Jung Jun-jae once again brought in the runner from third base with a sacrifice fly, but Choi Jeong grounded out to the shortstop and Heredia grounded out to the pitcher, failing to take advantage of the opportunity.

In the eighth inning, they once again had a bases-loaded opportunity with no outs, but Choi Jeong struck out swinging. Heredia hit a double and recorded the only RBI among the core batters that day, but Han Yu-seom struck out in a situation where he could have tied or taken the lead.

In the top of the 10th inning, after allowing two runs, Jung Jun-jae once again hit a two-run triple to create a dramatic tie, but with two outs and runners on first and third, Heredia struck out and missed the chance to end the game.

This game was like a mini-version of the season. Heredia, in his fourth season in the KBO League, has a career batting average of 0.335, but this season he has struggled with a 0.262 average (34 hits in 130 at-bats) in 31 games. Han Yu-seom is in even worse shape, with a batting average of only 0.162 (12 hits in 74 at-bats). In scoring position, he is hitting just 0.056 (1 hit in 18 at-bats).

Choi Jeong has a modest batting average of 0.257 (29 hits in 113 at-bats), but he is showing powerful form with 8 home runs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.944. The problem is that his batting average in scoring position has dropped to 0.200 (6 hits in 30 at-bats).

SSG, who had been on a three-game losing streak, failed to break it today. With 17 wins, 13 losses, and 1 tie, they held onto third place, but the gap to fourth-place Samsung Lions has narrowed to just one game. The team started the season without Kim Kwang-hyun and Kim Min-jun, and recently even their top starter, Mitch White, has left. With the bullpen under increased pressure, they have not been able to show the same dominance as last year. With the core batters failing to provide the necessary power when the lineup needed it, the team has been unable to secure easy wins even when the opposing pitching staff wavered.

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*This content was translated by AI.