'We almost had no game' Doosan wraps up first half with overwhelming victory... SSG falls into second consecutive loss [Jamsil On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Doosan Bears concluded the first half with a perfect ending. Thanks to clean pitching by the starting pitcher, explosive hitting from the lineup, and scoreless relief pitching in relay fashion, they secured a 100-point victory.

On the 9th, Doosan recorded a decisive 7-0 win over SSG Landers in their 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game at Seoul Songpa-gu Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

With two consecutive wins, Doosan finished the first half in fifth place with a record of 44 wins, 41 losses, and 2 draws, maintaining a two-game lead over fourth-place KIA Tigers. Meanwhile, SSG, after ending their nine-game losing streak, fell back into a two-game losing streak, finishing the first half in ninth place with 31 wins, 52 losses, and 3 draws.

Doosan lined up its batting order as follows: Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Jung Soobin (center fielder), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Yang Eui-ji (designated hitter), Ahn Jae-suk (third baseman), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Kim In-tae (designated hitter), Ryu Seung-min (right fielder), and Kang Seung-ho (first baseman). Starting pitcher Jacklog took the mound.

SSG countered with Jung Jun-jae (second baseman), Kim Sung-wook (left fielder), Choi Jeong (designated hitter), Go Myeong-jun (third baseman), Oh Tae-gon (first baseman), Chae Hyun-woo (right fielder), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Jo Hyung-woo (catcher), and Park Sung-han (shortstop). Thomas Hatch started for SSG.

SSG troubled Jacklog from the early innings. In the top of the 1st with one out, Kim Sung-wook singled to right field and stole second base. With two outs, Go Myeong-jun drew a walk after an eight-pitch at-bat, followed by Oh Tae-gon drawing a walk after a nine-pitch battle. However, Jacklog escaped the bases-loaded crisis with two outs by inducing Chae Hyun-woo to fly out to right field without allowing any runs.

In the 2nd inning, Jacklog faced further pressure as he allowed consecutive hits to Choi Ji-hoon and Jo Hyung-woo, starting nervously. With one out, Jung Jun-jae was hit by a pitch, creating another bases-loaded situation with two outs. Yet, Jacklog struck out Kim Sung-wook with a cutter and Choi Jeong with a high fastball to escape the danger.

SSG left three runners stranded in consecutive innings, paying a heavy price. In the bottom of the 2nd, third baseman Go Myeong-jun fielded Yang Eui-ji's batted ball cleanly but committed a throwing error. Ahn Jae-suk then capitalized with a two-run home run to take the lead. This was Ahn Jae-suk's fourth home run of the season—a massive arch spanning 130 meters.

This time, walks became the culprit. Hatch walked Park Chan-ho after a seven-pitch at-bat and struck out Kim In-tae and Ryu Seung-min consecutively. However, Kang Seung-ho's slider drifted toward the middle of the plate, leading to another home run. With two outs and runners on second base, Kang Seung-ho's hit cleared the left-center field fence for a 135-meter two-run blast. It was Kang Seung-ho's sixth home run of the season.

SSG failed to score in the top of the 3rd. In the bottom of the 3rd, with one out, Park Jun-soon singled to the infield, followed by Yang Eui-ji's double to second base, creating a bases-loaded opportunity with one out. After Ahn Jae-suk drew a walk, Park Chan-ho delivered a two-run single, extending Doosan's lead to 6-0.

Another moment of contrasting fortunes arose for both teams. Suddenly, the rain intensified, and the game was suspended just before the top of the 4th inning at 7:46 p.m. With Doosan leading by six runs and SSG's starting pitcher having collapsed, the two teams naturally held different expectations regarding whether the game would resume.

After waiting about ten minutes, the rain subsided, and tarp removal began. However, an additional 30 minutes were needed to prepare the field.

The game resumed 44 minutes after the initial suspension. Jacklog returned to the mound. Despite his arm likely cooling down, he retired all three batters cleanly to end the inning. SSG replaced Hatch with Choi Min-jun as the next pitcher. Jacklog recorded a three-up, three-down in the 4th and held SSG scoreless in the 5th with runners on second base after one out, completing five innings and securing his victory eligibility.

As this was the final game of the first half and there had been a rain delay, there was no need to overwork Jacklog. Although he threw only 84 pitches, Doosan activated its bullpen from the 6th inning. Lee Yong-chan pitched the 6th, Kim Jeong-woo the 7th, and Takada Taquito the 8th. In the 8th, Oh Tae-gon drew a walk and Choi Ji-hoon was hit by a pitch, creating a bases-loaded situation with two outs and runners on first and second. However, Jo Hyung-woo struck out to extinguish the threat.

Choi Ji-hoon, struck in the right wrist by Takada's 146 km/h fastball, let out a cry of pain and was immediately substituted.

In the top of the 9th, Doosan brought in Park Shin-ji to the mound, securing a comfortable victory without allowing any runs. Jacklog, who pitched five scoreless innings, earned his fourth win (with five losses) of the season.

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*This content was translated by AI.