'First Bench Clearing Incident': Doosan, 'An Woo-jin Allows 6 Runs,' Crushes Kiwoom 9-1, Surges to 4-Game Winning Streak... Kiwoom Stuck in 4-Game Losing Skid [Jamsil On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Doosan Bears secured a winning series by defeating Kiwoom Heroes, who started with 'KBO League's top ace' An Woo-jin on the mound.

On the 6th, Doosan defeated Kiwoom 9-1 in a regular-season home game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

After beating Kiwoom 4-3 the previous day (5th), Doosan extended its winning streak to four games. Including one tie, the team has gone five consecutive games without a loss. With a record of 29 wins, 2 ties, and 28 losses, Doosan sits one win above the .500 mark. In contrast, Kiwoom has fallen into a four-game losing skid, finishing with 21 wins, 1 tie, and 38 losses.

Kiwoom set its starting lineup in the following order: Seo Geon-chang (second baseman), Hiura (left fielder), Im Byung-wook (center fielder), Choi Ju-hwan (first baseman), Kim Woong-bin (designated hitter), Yeo Dong-wook (third baseman), Choo Jae-hyun (right fielder), Oh Sun-jin (shortstop), and Kim Geon-hee (catcher). An Woo-jin was the starting pitcher.

In response, Doosan arranged its starting lineup as follows: Jung Soobin (center fielder), Cameron (designated hitter), Oh Myung-jin (second baseman), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Park Ji-hoon (first baseman), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Ahn Jae-seok (third baseman), and Jo Su-haeng (right fielder). Starting pitcher for Doosan was Choi Min-seok.

Both teams exchanged one run each in the first inning. In the top of the first, Kiwoom created a one-out, runners on first and second opportunity with a walk by Seo Geon-chang and a ground-rule double by Hiura. Choi Ju-hwan then hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring a run. In the bottom of the first, after Cameron reached base with a double to right field with one out, Yang Eui-ji followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, tying the score.

Thereafter, Doosan continued to attack An Woo-jin successfully. In the second inning, Park Chan-ho and Ahn Jae-seok each hit consecutive triples, extending the lead to 2-1. In the third inning, after Yang Eui-ji and Kim Min-seok hit consecutive singles with one out, Park Ji-hoon drew a walk on the seventh pitch. Park Chan-ho then hit a sacrifice fly to left field, Ahn Jae-seok hit a sacrifice double, and Jo Su-haeng hit a two-run sacrifice single, pushing the score to 6-1.

Ultimately, An Woo-jin took the loss after pitching 3 innings (79 pitches total), allowing 9 hits, walking 1 batter, striking out 3, and giving up 6 earned runs. This was his third loss of the season (1 win).

In the top of the sixth inning, the first bench-clearing incident of the season occurred. Leadoff batter Im Byung-wook stepped into the batter's box. Doosan's starting pitcher, Choi Min-seok, was still on the mound. The first pitch was a strike. Just as Choi was about to throw the second pitch, Im Byung-wook called for time and paused for a moment. After regaining his batting stance, Choi Min-seok's second pitch—a 145 km/h fastball—struck Im Byung-wook squarely on the buttocks. It was a hit-by-pitch.

At that moment, Im Byung-wook, unable to control his emotions after being hit, walked toward the mound. Simultaneously, players from both Doosan and Kiwoom rushed out of the dugout, triggering a bench-clearing incident. The situation could have been easily misunderstood, as a hit-by-pitch occurred immediately after a time-out was requested. However, Choi Min-seok immediately removed his cap to express his apology after throwing the hit-by-pitch. The incident was ultimately resolved without escalating into a larger physical altercation. Choi Min-seok removed his cap again to apologize, and Im Byung-wook accepted the apology.

Doosan added one run in the sixth inning and two runs in the seventh, effectively sealing the game. In the sixth, with one out and runners on first and third, Oh Myung-jin hit a sacrifice fly to left field, driving in a run. In the seventh, with no outs and a runner on first, Park Chan-ho hit a two-run double to left-center field, and Ahn Jae-seok hit a sacrifice single that deflected off the second baseman into the outfield. The score had now expanded to 9-1. Choi Min-seok recorded 7 innings (88 pitches total), allowing 6 hits, walking 1 batter, hitting 1 batter, striking out 7, and giving up 1 earned run, securing his fifth win of the season (2 losses). In the end, Doosan's bullpen pitchers in the eighth and ninth innings maintained the lead, extending the team's winning streak to four games.

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*This content was translated by AI.