'6 Wins, 1 Loss' Twins Overcome SSG, Im Chan-kyu Allows 1 Run in 5 Innings: Park Hae-min and Gu Bon-hyeok Drive 4 RBIs [Jamsil On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins once again displayed their nemesis mode against SSG Landers, securing a decisive victory.

On the 9th, LG defeated SSG Landers 8-2 in a home game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul.

With the win after a two-game losing streak, LG improved to 37 wins and 23 losses, maintaining a 1.5-game lead over second-place KT Wiz, who also won on the day, and firmly held the top spot. Meanwhile, SSG remained in eighth place with 26 wins, 33 losses, and one tie. Against SSG this season, LG has maintained an overwhelming record of 6 wins and 1 loss.

LG lined up Park Hae-min (center fielder), Moon Sung-ju (left fielder), Austin Dean (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (designated hitter), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Park Dong-won (catcher), Song Chan-ui (right fielder), Gu Bon-hyeok (third baseman), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). Im Chan-kyu was the starting pitcher.

SSG countered with Park Sung-han (shortstop), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Guillermo Heredia (left fielder), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Jeon Ui-san (first baseman), Jo Hyung-woo (catcher), Kim Sung-wook (right fielder), Jung Jun-jae (second baseman), and Choi Yun-seok (third baseman). Rookie Kim Min-jun made his debut as the starting pitcher.

In the top of the second, SSG took an early lead with Kim Sung-wook's single, Jung Jun-jae's walk, and Park Sung-han's infield single, but LG's counterattack was far more fierce.

In the bottom of the second, rookie Kim Min-jun faced a painful first experience as LG's lineup struck. With one out, Oh Ji-hwan hit a double down the right-field fence, followed by walks from Park Dong-won and Song Chan-ui, creating a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity.

Gu Bon-hyeok then hit a difficult infield grounder toward the shortstop, which took a tricky bounce, resulting in a fielder's choice and giving up his first career run. Shin Min-jae and Park Hae-min then added three more runs with consecutive hits. Moon Sung-ju's grounder to the first baseman added another run.

LG added more runs in the fifth inning to crush SSG's comeback hopes. Kim Min-jun had been relieved by Park Si-hoo in the top of the fourth with one out but returned to pitch in the fifth. Park Hae-min reached on an infield single, and Moon Sung-ju and Austin Dean followed with consecutive hits, loading the bases.

Moon Bo-kyung then struck out, but Oh Ji-hwan drew a walk to score a run via a bases-loaded walk. Relief pitcher Choi Yong-jun struck out Park Dong-won, but Jeon Ui-san dropped a foul fly to the first baseman in Song Chan-ui's at-bat, allowing another run on a walk. Gu Bon-hyeok's RBI single followed, giving LG three runs in the fifth inning alone.

In contrast, LG's starter Im Chan-kyu handled SSG's lineup with seasoned pitching. In the top of the first with one out, he allowed a single to Choi Ji-hoon and walked Kim Jae-hwan but retired Jeon Ui-san on a grounder to the first baseman, starting the game without allowing a run.

In the second, he gave up a single to Kim Sung-wook and a walk to Jung Jun-jae, then allowed a run on Park Sung-han's infield single with two outs, but did not allow any further runs.

In the third, he struck out Kim Jae-hwan, recording his 1,146th career strikeout, the most among LG pitchers, surpassing the previous leader Kim Yong-soo (1,145).

In the fourth, Kim Sung-wook, who reached on a single, was left on second base after an error by the third baseman on a foul fly. Facing Park Sung-han, Im Chan-kyu struck him out swinging with a bold slider to the body, ending the inning.

Im Chan-kyu shut out the fifth in just four batters, throwing 98 pitches. He handed the ball to Woo Kang-hoon in the sixth with an 8-1 lead. Woo Kang-hoon (one inning), Bae Jae-jun (two innings), and Park Si-won (one inning) then pitched cleanly, allowing only one run to secure the team victory.

Im Chan-kyu, who threw 98 pitches over five innings, allowed four hits, four walks, struck out three, and gave up one run. He earned his sixth win (one loss) of the season, lowering his ERA from 3.88 to 3.72.

In contrast, SSG's Kim Min-jun, making his KBO debut, threw 70 pitches over 3⅔ innings, allowing three hits, four walks, striking out two, and giving up five runs, taking the loss.

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

*This content was translated by AI.