'Four home runs, yet still' shocking 13-game losing streak: SSG faces crisis of falling from first-place contention to ninth place... Kiwoom escapes eight-game losing streak

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Jeong and Kim Jae-hwan hit back-to-back home runs. Oh Tae-gon also unleashed his power. Starting pitcher Anthony Venegas held the line for six innings allowing three earned runs, but trouble erupted in the seventh inning. The result was a painful 13-game losing streak.

On the 3rd, SSG lost 6-12 to Kiwoom Heroes in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game at Incheon SSG Landers Field.

Starting with the LG Twins game on the 17th of last month, the team fell into a 13-game losing streak, setting a new club record for the most consecutive losses in franchise history.

Starting pitcher Anthony Venegas pitched well through the sixth inning, allowing four hits (one home run), two walks, striking out seven, and giving up three runs in an effort to secure a win for his team, but staying on the mound in the seventh inning proved to be a mistake. He surrendered two home runs to Kim Woong-bin and Kim Geon-hee, increasing his earned run total to five, and then Han Du-sol allowed three more runs, tipping the balance of the game.

The game began on a high note in the first inning with a hit by Jung Jun-jae and a two-run double by Choi Jeong, but the joy did not last long.

In the third inning, the team allowed a hit to Kwon Hyuk-bin and An Chi-hong, tying the score, and then surrendered a two-run, go-ahead home run to Keston Hiura with two outs and runners on second and third. Hiura recorded his first home run since joining the team.

Kiwoom starting pitcher Raul Alcantara did not allow any runs through the first inning until the sixth. In the top of the seventh, after two home runs, hits from Seo Geon-chang and An Chi-hong, and a walk to Hiura, the team added a run on a shortstop grounder by Im Byung-wook, and then extended the lead to 8-1 with a two-run double by Lee Hyung-jong, solidifying their hold on the game.

In the seventh inning, Oh Tae-gon hit a solo home run against Alcantara, who had remained on the mound, and the team added another run on an infield grounder by Park Sung-han with two outs and runners on second and third. However, Alcantara left the mound with a win on the line after pitching seven innings, allowing eight hits (one home run), one walk, striking out five, and giving up three earned runs.

In the eighth inning, SSG's Choi Jeong and Kim Jae-hwan hit back-to-back home runs (their eighth of the season), cutting the deficit to 5-8, but the team could not hold off Kiwoom's attack in the top of the ninth. With two hits and a walk, Kiwoom created a bases-loaded, two-out opportunity. Choi Ju-hwan hit a two-run single, and after a walk to Oh Seon-jin, Kwon Hyuk-bin delivered another two-run single, extending the lead to 12-6. Although Choi Ji-hoon hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth, it was not enough to turn the tide.

Before the losing streak began, as of May 16, SSG held a 22-18 record with a .550 winning percentage, sitting in fourth place, two games behind the joint first-place group. Now, the team faces a crisis of potentially falling to last place. With a record of 22-31-1, SSG remains in eighth place, just 0.5 games ahead of ninth-place Lotte Giants. The gap to last-place Kiwoom (20-34-1) has narrowed to two games.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.