'W' Coach Seol Jong-jin rode the razor's edge perfectly! The 'divine move' in the bottom of the 8th inning was a complete success: "Thanks to the fans who came to Gocheok Dome and cheered, the players found their strength." [Gocheok On-site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Kiwoom Heroes secured a thrilling comeback victory against the Doosan Bears, successfully seizing the initiative in the weekend series.

On the 3rd, Kiwoom defeated Doosan 6-5 in a regular-season home game at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With this win, Kiwoom snapped its losing streak at '2', improving to 29 wins, 1 tie, and 53 losses. Meanwhile, Doosan failed to maintain the momentum from their victory over the Jamsil Lotte Giants on the previous day (the 2nd), finishing with 40 wins, 2 ties, and 40 losses.

For this game, Kiwoom set its starting lineup in the following order: Seo Geon-chang (second baseman), Ahn Chi-hong (first baseman), Choo Jae-hyun (center fielder), Hiura (left fielder), Park Chan-hyuk (right fielder), Im Byung-wook (designated hitter), Yeo Dong-wook (third baseman), Kim Dong-heon (catcher), and Kwon Hyuk-bin (shortstop). Starting pitcher for Kiwoom was Ha Young-min.

In response, Doosan arranged its starting lineup as follows: Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Son Ah-seop (designated hitter), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Ryu Seung-min (right fielder), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Jung Soobin (center fielder), Ahn Jae-seok (third baseman), and Kang Seung-ho (first baseman). Starting pitcher for Doosan was Jacklog.

Kiwoom took the lead in the bottom of the 1st inning. Leadoff batter Seo Geon-chang reached base with a hit to right field, and after one out, Choo Jae-hyun recorded a hit to center field. At that moment, a fielding error by Doosan's center fielder Jung Soobin compounded the situation, resulting in runners on second and third bases with one out. Hiura then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing Seo Geon-chang home from third base.

As both teams' starting pitchers continued to perform well, Doosan managed to score three runs in the top of the 5th inning, overturning the game. Leadoff batter Park Chan-ho and subsequent batter Jung Soobin hit consecutive singles, creating a bases-empty opportunity with runners on first and second. Ahn Jae-seok then smashed a two-run double to left-center field, taking a 2-1 lead. Immediately after, Kang Seung-ho added an RBI sacrifice fly to left field, extending the lead to 3-1.

Kiwoom quickly responded in the bottom of the 5th inning to tie the game. After leadoff batter Yeo Dong-wook drew a walk, Kim Dong-heon hit a double that landed just inside the left-field line. With Kwon Hyuk-bin drawing a walk to load the bases for Doosan, Seo Geon-chang appeared to fail in scoring by hitting into a fielder's choice at the pitcher's mound. However, with two outs and runners on second and third, subsequent batter Ahn Chi-hong smashed a two-run double to left-center field, tying the game at 3-3.

With momentum on their side, Kiwoom once again took the lead in the bottom of the 6th inning. Doosan had replaced starting pitcher Jacklog with Kim Jung-woo. After Hiura hit a double to left-center field as the leadoff batter, one out was recorded following Im Byung-wook's single to center field and Yeo Dong-wook being hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded, Kim Dong-heon hit a two-run double to left-center field, securing a 4-3 comeback victory.

Doosan immediately responded in the top of the 7th inning with another big blow to retake the lead. Starting pitcher Ha Young-min was replaced by left-handed reliever Park Jeong-hoon. However, after issuing a walk to leadoff batter Jung Soobin, Kang Seung-ho hit a two-run home run over the right-field fence on the next pitch. The score became 5-4 in favor of Doosan.

But the game was not over until the final out. In the bottom of the 8th inning, Kiwoom's offense began with leadoff batter Yeo Dong-wook reaching base with a double to left-center field against pitcher Kim Taek-yeon. Following Kim Dong-heon's sacrifice bunt, there was one out and a runner on second base. When Kwon Hyuk-bin came to bat, Coach Seol Jong-jin substituted pinch hitter Choi Ju-hwan. Choi had been held in reserve during the bases-loaded opportunity with one out in the 6th inning. This pinch-hit move proved to be the 'divine move.' Choi Ju-hwan connected perfectly with Kim Taek-yeon's first-pitch fastball (151 km/h), hitting a two-run double to left-center field that tied the game at 5-5.

Kiwoom continued its attack, extending the opportunity to runners on first and third with one out thanks to Seo Geon-chang's single to right field. Doosan then replaced Kim Taek-yeon with Lee Young-ha. Against Lee Young-ha, Ahn Chi-hong hit a sacrifice fly to deep center field, scoring the run and giving Kiwoom a 6-5 comeback lead. In the top of the 9th inning, Kiwoom brought in Won Jong-hyun as the pitcher.

Won Jong-hyun allowed a single to right field by Park Chan-ho, then gave up a double to left-center field by Ahn Jae-seok with one out, quickly finding himself in a dangerous situation with runners on first and third. Doosan attempted to apply pressure by replacing runner Ahn Jae-seok at first base with pinch runner Lee Yu-chan. The next batter was Kang Seung-ho, who had hit a home run earlier that day. Facing an unfavorable 0-2 count, he targeted the third pitch. The ball was hit toward the pitcher's mound. Won Jong-hyun fielded it and immediately threw to second base for the force out. With two outs, he then caught the batter-runner as well, closing out the game with a victory. While Doosan might have wished to request video review on the force-out at second base, they had already used both of their available review opportunities.

After the game, Kiwoom's winning coach Seol Jong-jin said, "Ha Young-min pitched six innings allowing only three earned runs with no unnecessary mistakes. His strong performance laid the foundation for our victory. Yoo T-o, who came in during a critical situation, perfectly shut down one inning, and Won Jong-hyun induced a double play in a crisis to close out the game."

He continued, "Although the momentum could have shifted after allowing runs, the batters maintained their focus until the end and scored the tying runs. Ahn Chi-hong delivered an outstanding performance with a two-run single to tie the game in the 5th inning, followed by a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 8th. Pinch hitter Choi Ju-hwan also hit a crucial two-run single. All players who gave their best effort worked hard. Thanks to the fans who came to Gocheok Dome and cheered, the players found their strength. We are grateful, and we will prepare well for tomorrow's game as well."

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*This content was translated by AI.