Who will lead the race! No. 1 LG crushes No. 2 KT 10-1... Explosive 17 hits with long and short hits, Austin celebrates his 100th career home run

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LG Twins dominated KT Wiz in the highly anticipated battle for first place.

On the 2nd, LG defeated KT 10-1 in a regular-season away game against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League. With this victory, LG, now on a four-game winning streak, improved to 34 wins and 20 losses, extending their lead over second-place KT (32 wins, 1 tie, 21 losses) by 1.5 games.

For just one day, it seemed as if the race for first place was truly on, as LG dominated KT in both pitching and hitting. LG unleashed a barrage of 17 hits, long and short, overpowering KT, which managed only eight hits and a single run. Park Hae-min, batting second, went 4-for-4 with three hits (including one home run), two RBIs, two runs scored, and one walk, opening up the game. Austin Dean went 6-for-3 with three hits (including one home run), two RBIs, and one run scored, celebrating his 100th career home run.

Oh Ji-hwan went 5-for-2 with one home run, one RBI, and two runs scored; Park Dong-won went 3-for-2 with one home run, one RBI, two runs scored, and one walk; and Cheon Seong-ho went 5-for-2 with two hits. The cleanup trio performed brilliantly. Song Chan-ui also contributed with 5-for-3, three hits, two RBIs, and one run, helping secure Lim Chan-kyu's victory.

They also secured a decisive victory in the starting pitcher matchup. LG's starting pitcher Lim Chan-kyu pitched six innings, allowing four hits, three walks, and recording four strikeouts without allowing any runs, achieving a quality start (six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs). He improved his record to five wins and one loss for the season.

In contrast, KT's Han Cha-hyun, making his first start of the year, pitched five innings, allowing ten hits (including three home runs), two walks, and recording four strikeouts, but ultimately gave up six runs, failing to carry over his strong form from the Futures League. In the lineup, only Kim Hyun-soo and Kim Sang-soo managed multi-hit performances.

On this day, LG lined up with Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin Dean (first baseman), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Cheon Seong-ho (designated hitter), Park Dong-won (catcher), Song Chan-ui (left fielder), Lee Young-bin (third baseman), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). Lim Chan-kyu was the starting pitcher.

In response, KT lined up with Choi Won-jun (right fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (designated hitter), Ryu Hyeon-in (first baseman), Sam Hilliard (left fielder), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Kim Sang-soo (second baseman), Bae Jeong-dae (center fielder), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). Han Cha-hyun was the starting pitcher.

In the bottom of the second inning with one out, LG's Park Dong-won hit a solo home run to left field for the first run. For KT, it was a missed opportunity in the top of the second when Hilliard reached on an infield single, stole second base, and Heo Kyung-min's grounder resulted in a one-out, bases-loaded situation that was ultimately nullified. Kim Sang-soo reached on a walk, but Bae Jeong-dae and Han Seung-taek struck out consecutively, ending the inning without scoring.

Seizing the opportunity, LG struck in the bottom of the third with two outs. Park Hae-min opened the scoring with a double down the right-field line. Austin Dean then hit a slider from Han Cha-hyun over the left-field fence, making it 3-0.

In the top of the fourth, leadoff hitter Cheon Seong-ho hit a double down the left-center gap, and Park Dong-won drew a walk to extend the opportunity. Song Chan-ui followed with a sacrifice fly to right field, and Lee Young-bin hit a fly ball to center field, bringing in another run to make it 5-0.

Park Hae-min, batting leadoff in the bottom of the fifth, hit a surprise home run to add another run for LG. In the top of the seventh, leadoff hitters Oh Ji-hwan and Cheon Seong-ho recorded consecutive hits, and Park Dong-won's grounder resulted in a one-out, first-and-third situation. Song Chan-ui's hit struck the third baseman Heo Kyung-min's glove slightly, deflecting backward for a sacrifice double with one RBI.

KT managed to score a run late. In the bottom of the seventh, against reliever Jang Hyun-sik, Kwon Dong-jin reached on a double down the left-center gap. A wild pitch by Jang Hyun-sik allowed Kwon to advance to third base, and he scored on Kim Hyun-soo's single to left field. KT's 1-7 comeback attempt.

However, LG continued to pressure KT until the end. In the top of the ninth, leadoff hitter Oh Ji-hwan hit a changeup from reliever Kim Jeong-won on the first pitch, launching a solo home run over the fence. Lee Ju-heon drew a walk, Song Chan-ui hit a hit to center field, and Gu Bon-hyuk hit a single to left field, creating a one-out, bases-loaded situation.

Shin Min-jae scored one run with a sacrifice fly to left field, and Hong Chang-ki was hit by a pitch. Park Hae-min then drew a bases-loaded walk to score the final run.

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*This content was translated by AI.