'And' KIA ace crumbled, 'AG favorite second baseman' explodes with a three-run homer! Seven trials, eight attempts, native left-hander secures first victory! Doosan, only 'one win' left to reach 50% win rate [Gwangju On-site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Doosan Bears secured a victory over KIA Tigers in the first game of a three-game midweek series, gaining the upper hand.

On the 12th, Doosan defeated KIA Tigers 5-1 in an away regular-season game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League held at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field.

Before this game, both Doosan and KIA had recorded 17 wins, 1 tie, and 19 losses for the season. With today's victory, Doosan improved to 18 wins, 1 tie, and 19 losses, needing just one more win to reach a 50% win rate. Meanwhile, KIA fell to 17 wins, 1 tie, and 20 losses. The gap between the two teams widened to one game.

For this game, Doosan set its starting lineup in the following order: Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Cameron (right fielder), Hong Sung-ho (designated hitter), Yang Ui-ji (catcher), Jung Soobin (center fielder), Park Ji-hoon (third baseman), and Oh Myung-jin (first baseman). The starting pitcher was left-hander Choi Seung-yong. Yang Ui-ji's start at the sixth spot in the lineup came 976 days after his last appearance in the same position during the second game of a doubleheader against Samsung Lions at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on September 9, 2023. This was also Park Chan-ho's first away game against KIA this season.

In response, KIA set its starting lineup as follows: Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Kim Seon-bin (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Adellin (first baseman), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Yoon Do-hyun (second baseman), Han Jun-su (catcher), and Park Min (shortstop). The starting pitcher was foreign ace Adam Oller.

KIA removed infielder Jared Dale from the 1st division roster on the previous day (the 11th) due to the Asian quota for infielders. Instead, Yoon Do-hyun was added to the 1st division roster. Yoon Do-hyun had been hit on the top of his left foot by a foul ball in the first inning of the LG Twins game at Jamsil on the 1st, and was substituted before the third-inning defense. A medical examination diagnosed a simple contusion, and after being removed from the 1st division roster on April 4, he returned after about a month. Upon being called up, he immediately seized the opportunity to start.

KIA took the early lead. In the bottom of the first inning, leadoff batter Park Jae-hyun reached base with a hit to right field. Taking advantage of Cameron's somewhat leisurely throw, he advanced to second base. The official record credited Cameron with a throwing error. Then, during Kim Ho-ryeong's sacrifice bunt, Park Jae-hyun, who had moved to third base, scored on Kim Seon-bin's sacrifice fly to right field, giving KIA the first run.

Doosan then turned the tide in the top of the third inning. Leadoff batter Jung Soobin reached base with a triple to left-center field. He scored on Park Ji-hoon's sacrifice triple to center field. Subsequently, Oh Myung-jin, who came to bat next, drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to left field, reversing the score to 2-1 in Doosan's favor.

Both teams failed to score additional runs through the fifth inning. However, in the sixth inning, Doosan widened the gap with a powerful hit. In the top of the sixth, Oh Myung-jin reached base with a hit to left-center field. Park Chan-ho advanced to second base on a ground ball to first base. Then, with Kim Min-seok drawing a walk on the sixth pitch, infielder Park Jun-soon, a strong candidate for the Asian Games roster, stepped up to the plate. Park Jun-soon hit a curveball on the first pitch. On the second pitch, he targeted Oller's 151 km/h inside fastball, sending it over the left-field wall for a three-run homer. The distance was 115 meters. This was Park Jun-soon's fifth home run of the season, breaking the KIA ace. The score quickly expanded to 5-1.

Doosan then employed bullpen pitching. Kim Jeong-woo pitched the sixth inning, followed by Yang Jae-hoon in the seventh and eighth innings. In the ninth, Lee Young-ha took the mound and secured the win.

Doosan starter Choi Seung-yong succeeded in his seventh attempt. Over 5 innings (95 pitches total), he allowed 5 hits, 3 walks, recorded 2 strikeouts, and gave up 1 earned run, earning his first victory of the season (4 losses) in his eighth start of the year. Kim Jeong-woo (1 scoreless inning), Yang Jae-hoon (2 scoreless innings), and Lee Young-ha (1 scoreless inning) followed in succession to protect the team's victory. In the batting lineup, which recorded 7 hits total, Jung Soobin and Park Ji-hoon each recorded multi-hit games.

KIA starter Oller took his third loss of the season (4 wins) after pitching 6 innings (90 pitches total), allowing 6 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, recording 6 strikeouts, and giving up 5 earned runs. Choi Jimin (1 scoreless inning), Jo Sang-woo (1 scoreless inning), and Han Jae-seung (1 scoreless inning) followed in succession on the mound. In the batting lineup, which recorded 7 hits total, Park Jae-hyun and Kim Do-young each recorded multi-hit games.

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*This content was translated by AI.