'Top of the 9th, Choi Joo-hwan did it!' Kiwoom completes stunning comeback against NC, 1:5 to 7:6 [Gocheok]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom Heroes secured a thrilling comeback victory with a walk-off single by Choi Joo-hwan in the bottom of the 9th inning.

On the 9th, Kiwoom defeated NC Dinos 7-6 at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome.

With the score tied 6-6 in the bottom of the 9th and one out, Kiwoom's Kim Geon-hee hit a single to left field off the opposing team's eighth pitcher, Ryu Jin-wook, creating a scoring opportunity. After Oh Seon-jin was retired on a fly ball to second base, Lee Hyung-jong hit a ground ball to the third baseman, and Seo Geon-chang hit a single to right field, loading the bases with two outs. Choi Joo-hwan then hit a single to center field, ending the 3rd hours and 52 minutes of intense competition. This was Choi Joo-hwan's fifth career walk-off single.

Throughout the game, NC took the lead and Kiwoom chased them down. After NC scored the first run in the top of the 1st inning on Lee Woo-seong's RBI single, Kiwoom tied the game immediately in the bottom of the 1st inning with Hyu-ra's single to center field.

In the top of the 5th, NC built a 5-1 lead with a four-run big inning, featuring consecutive hits: Kwon Hee-dong's RBI double, Park Geon-woo's two-RBI double, and Lee Woo-seong's RBI single to right field. In response, Kiwoom's Hyu-ra hit a three-run home run (his third of the season) off pitcher Bae Jae-hwan in the bottom of the 5th, narrowing the gap to 4-5. Hyu-ra went 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBIs, and one walk in the game.

In the top of the 6th, NC extended their lead again with Kim Ju-won's solo home run (his 11th of the season, off pitcher Kim Seo-jun). Kiwoom maintained a one-run deficit in the bottom of the 6th thanks to Im Byung-wook's bases-loaded walk.

Kiwoom tied the game in the bottom of the 8th when Choi Joo-hwan hit an RBI double off pitcher Lim Ji-min, then completed the stunning comeback with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 9th.

Kiwoom's starting pitcher Rosenberg allowed 10 hits and five earned runs over five innings, failing to secure his first win of the season. NC's starting pitcher Kim Tae-kyung allowed four hits and one run over 2⅔ innings before being pulled early.

NC's second pitcher, Lee Yong-jun, was replaced during his pitching in the bottom of the 4th due to pain in his right inner thigh. The NC organization stated, "He received icing treatment and is scheduled for further medical evaluation at a hospital."

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*This content was translated by AI.