'Top speed 152 km/h' Shirakawa earns victory after 657 days + Adellin hits grand slam! KIA defeats Lotte 10-0, secures winning series [Gwangju on-site review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Japanese pitcher Shirakawa Keisho (25) successfully returned to the Korean KBO League for the first time in two years. Adellin Rodriguez (35), whose six-week contract has about a week remaining, gave KIA a happy dilemma with a massive grand slam.

On the 4th, KIA defeated the Lotte Giants 10-0 in a regular-season home game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League. With this win, KIA secured a 2-1 winning series, bringing their record to 30 wins, 1 tie, and 26 losses. This marks the fourth team in the league to reach 30 wins, as they closed in on the top spot. Meanwhile, Lotte finished with 22 wins, 1 tie, and 32 losses, remaining in ninth place.

KIA gained the upper hand in the pitching duel. KIA's Shirakawa pitched five innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out four batters without surrendering a run, earning his first win of the season. For Shirakawa, this was his first start since August 23, 2024, in a game against the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil while playing for the Doosan Bears — a span of 650 days. He had previously played for the SSG Landers and Doosan as a temporary foreign replacement due to injury two years ago, and signed an Asia quota contract with KIA on May 28 this year for a total of $100,000.

This victory also marked Shirakawa's first KBO win in 657 days, since his last appearance after the Suwon KT game on August 16, 2024. Unlike two years ago, Shirakawa showed composure even in front of a full house of 25,000 spectators — the 16th sellout of the season. He threw a total of 85 pitches, including a fastball reaching up to 152 km/h (44 pitches), along with 19 sliders, 10 curveballs, 7 forkballs, and 5 changeups.

The lineup also supported their new teammate with a total of 10 hits, both long and short. Adellin Rodriguez recorded three hits in four at-bats, including one home run, four RBIs, and two runs scored, marking his first grand slam in the KBO. Kim Do-young contributed two hits in four at-bats, including one home run, one RBI, and two runs scored, with his 16th home run of the season. Na Sung-beom went 1-for-1 with two walks and three runs scored. Oh Seon-woo recorded two hits in three at-bats, one RBI, one walk, and one run scored. Kim Ho-ryeong helped the team secure the win with a solid defensive performance, going 2-for-2 with two RBIs and one walk.

In contrast, Lotte's Park Se-woong became the losing pitcher after pitching four innings, allowing seven hits (including one home run), three walks, striking out three, and surrendering seven earned runs. The Lotte lineup also struggled with only four hits, providing no support at all.

KIA's lineup for the day was: Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Adellin Rodriguez (designated hitter), Oh Seon-woo (first baseman), Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Kim Kyu-sung (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Shirakawa Keisho.

Lotte countered with the following lineup: Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Go Seung-min (second baseman), Victor Reyes (designated hitter), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Son Ho-young (third baseman), Jo Se-jin (left fielder), Son Seong-bin (catcher), Kim Se-min (shortstop), and Jang Du-seong (right fielder). The starting pitcher was Park Se-woong.

The first run came from the home team, KIA. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, leadoff batter Na Sung-beom reached base with a double down the left-field line. Adellin hit a ground ball that sent Na to third base, and Oh Seon-woo followed with a one-run double down the left-field line, scoring Na from third.

A big inning unfolded in the 4th. In the bottom of the 4th, leadoff batter Kim Do-young connected with a fastball from Park Se-woong that was located in the middle of the plate on a full count, sending it over the left-center field wall. It was his 16th home run of the season, traveling 125 meters.

Following that, Na Sung-beom drew a walk, Adellin hit a hit to center field, and Oh Seon-woo drew a walk, loading the bases. Kim Ho-ryeong then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring one run. Kim Kyu-sung then hit a large two-run triple toward the right-field wall, clearing the bases. KIA took a 5-0 lead.

KIA also showed superior defensive focus. In the top of the 2nd inning, Kim Kyu-sung fielded a ground ball from Kim Se-min that veered to his right and threw it strongly to first base for an out. In the top of the 4th, Kim Ho-ryeong leaped and caught a ball from Jo Se-jin that bounced off the right-center field wall.

Adellin sealed the victory for KIA with a massive home run. In the top of the 5th, leadoff batter Kim Sun-bin opened the scoring with a double to right-center field. Kim Do-young hit an infield single, and Na Sung-beom drew a walk, filling all bases. As Park Se-jin's slider was located in the middle of the plate, Adellin swung immediately. The ball flew over the left-center field wall, traveling 101 meters — his 10th home run of the season. It was also Adellin's first grand slam in the KBO.

KIA added another run in the bottom of the 7th to reach double-digit scoring. Pinch-hitter Park Jung-woo drew a walk from reliever Lee Seung-heon. Adellin's ground ball was mishandled by shortstop Kim Se-min, who made an error throwing to first base, advancing runners to second and third. Kim Ho-ryeong then hit a ground ball that scored Park Jung-woo, making the score 10-0.

With Lotte unable to score any further runs, KIA's winning series was confirmed.

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*This content was translated by AI.