Despite a barrage of 17 hits, KT's manager Matt Sauer's '104-pitch effort' and the foreign investor's mustache: "Sauer gave up a home run..." [Jamsil Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-cheol (60) took care of powerful foreign investor Matt Sauer (27), despite the victory driven by overwhelming firepower.

On the 18th, KT defeated LG Twins 8-2 in a regular-season away game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League. With this win, third-place KT, now on a six-game winning streak, improved to 50 wins, 1 draw, and 35 losses, closing the gap to second-place LG (52 wins, 36 losses) by just 0.5 games after LG fell into a four-game losing streak.

The game was decided in the power battle. While LG managed only six hits total, KT unleashed 17 hits overall, including all seven starting batters recording hits for the sixth time this season, and dominated the pitcher's mound.

However, the first name mentioned by the winning manager was starting pitcher Sauer. After the game, manager Lee Kang-cheol said, "Starting pitcher Sauer gave up a two-run home run, but he found his rhythm afterward and demonstrated excellent institutional investor-level performance. Son Dong-hyun and Woo Kyu-min also closed out the game with solid pitching."

It was no surprise. On this day, KT could not use its three relief pitchers (Sugimoto Kouki, Jeon Yong-ju, and Lee Sang-dong) for consecutive appearances, forcing Sauer to pitch long innings. In that situation, Sauer delivered his best performance of the season: six innings, five hits allowed (one home run), two walks (one walk plus one hit-by-pitch), two strikeouts, and two earned runs, securing his seventh win (four losses) of the season. He threw a total of 104 pitches, including 46 fastballs, 35 cutters, 15 curveballs, and eight sliders, achieving a quality start (six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs).

His sharp pitching shone during critical moments. LG batters struggled to hit the ball over the infield against Sauer's fastest pitch, clocked at 153 km/h. In the bottom of the fifth inning, he allowed a double to Shin Min-jae and hit Hong Chang-gi, creating a bases-loaded situation with one out and runners on first and second. However, he retired Park Hae-min and Austin Dean in succession with left-field fly balls, preventing any runs from scoring. The only regret was the two-run home run to Moon Jeong-bin in the second inning.

Thanks to Sauer's outstanding performance, KT minimized bullpen usage. Son Dong-hyun pitched scoreless innings over two frames without allowing a hit or strikeout, issuing just one walk to cover the seventh and eighth innings. Woo Kyu-min then secured the game with one inning of work: one hit allowed, one walk, two strikeouts, and no runs scored.

The lineup supported them vigorously. Heo Kyung-min went 4-for-5 with one RBI; Hiliard recorded three hits (including a home run) in five at-bats for three RBIs and two runs scored over two consecutive days; Han Seung-taek contributed two hits and one RBI in four at-bats. Kim Hyun-soo also went 2-for-5 with one RBI and one run, setting the KBO League record as the first player to achieve 100 hits in 17 consecutive seasons.

Manager Lee Kang-cheol said, "I congratulate Kim Hyun-soo on achieving the league's first-ever record of 100 hits in 17 consecutive seasons." He added, "The batters maintained focus during the fifth inning when they were under pressure and created a big inning. Kim Hyun-soo and Hiliard delivered key hits to regain the lead. Additional hits from Heo Kyung-min and Han Seung-taek solidified our advantage. Not stopping there, Hiliard drove in two runs with a home run to seal the victory."

Despite the hot and humid weather, 21,042 fans gathered at Jamsil Baseball Stadium today to cheer enthusiastically. Manager Lee Kang-cheol expressed his sincere gratitude: "I thank the fans for their passionate support despite the scorching heat."

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*This content was translated by AI.