'With' and that short hit, he scored twice! Hanwha was fooled by Hilary's base running... KT surges to four straight wins [Suwon On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz foreign hitter Sam Hilary led the "Magician Corps" to consecutive victories with his electrifying base running.

On the 31st, KT defeated Hanwha Eagles 5-3 in a regular-season home game at Suwon KT Wiz Park as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With this win, second-place KT extended its winning streak to four games, improving to 57 wins, 2 ties, and 36 losses, maintaining a half-game lead over first-place Samsung Lions (59-2-37). Meanwhile, Hanwha fell below .500 at 46-3-47, failing to close the gap with fifth-place Doosan Bears.

KT foreign hitter Hilary dominated the game with his speed. Starting as the cleanup hitter and center fielder, he went 1-for-3 with one hit by pitch, one strikeout, and two runs scored. However, what decided the game was not reflected in the stats: his base running.

Hilary advanced to first base on a curveball from Ryu Hyun-jin when there were no outs and a runner on first while KT trailed 0-3. He reached second on an outfield hit by Kim Min-hyuk, then third on a hit-by-pitch from Heo Kyung-min. When Oh Yun-seok hit a short fly ball to center field, Hilary scored. Even Hanwha catcher Heo In-seo dropped the ball while trying to tag the fast-approaching Hilary, allowing Kim Min-hyuk to advance to third base.

Hilary also set the tone at the start of the decisive bottom of the 6th inning. With KT trailing 2-3, Hilary led off with a hit to right field. He quickly advanced to second on a fly ball by Kim Min-hyuk, creating a scoring opportunity. On Kim Sang-soo's single to center field, Hilary raced from second to home plate, tying the game at 3-3.

Ryu Hyun-jin was then pulled from the mound and replaced by Han Seung-taek. Lee Hyung-beom hit a two-run double to left-center field, giving KT a 5-3 lead.

The starting pitcher duel was intense. KT's So Hyoung-jun pitched five innings, allowing seven hits (including one home run), two walks, striking out two, and giving up three earned runs. Hanwha's Ryu Hyun-jin pitched 5⅓ innings, allowing seven hits, one hit by pitch, striking out three, and surrendering four earned runs. KT's Joo Kwang-hoon shut down the sixth inning with just 13 pitches for his third win of the season. Ryu Hyun-jin took his third loss of the season (8 wins).

In addition to Hilary, Kim Sang-soo went 2-for-3 with one RBI, one walk, and one run scored, while Heo Kyung-min also went 2-for-3 with one RBI, one hit by pitch, and one run. For Hanwha, Sim Woo-jun delivered a three-run home run among his four hits in four at-bats, driving in three runs and scoring once, but his performance could not prevent the team's defeat.

KT's lineup that day was: Choi Won-joon (right field), Kim Hyun-soo (first base), Ahn Hyeon-min (designated hitter), Sam Hilary (center field), Kim Min-hyuk (left field), Kim Sang-soo (second base), Heo Kyung-min (third base), Jo Dae-hyun (catcher), and Jang Jun-won (shortstop). Starting pitcher: So Hyoung-jun.

Hanwha countered with Lee Won-seok (center field), Yonatan Peraza (right field), Moon Hyun-bin (left field), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third base), Chae Eun-seong (first base), Heo In-seo (catcher), Lee Do-yoon (second base), and Sim Woo-jun (shortstop). Starting pitcher: Ryu Hyun-jin.

The first run came from the visiting Hanwha Eagles. In the top of the 2nd inning with one out, Chae Eun-seong singled to right field, followed by Heo In-seo's single to center field, creating a scoring opportunity. Sim Woo-jun then crushed a high cutter from former teammate So Hyoung-jun over the left-field fence for a three-run home run, breaking the 0-0 tie. It was his fifth home run of the season with a distance of 116 meters.

However, So Hyoung-jun allowed no further runs. Thanks to Hilary's performance, KT scored two runs in the 4th and three in the 6th. Joo Kwang-hoon (one inning), Lee Sang-dong (⅓ inning), Jeon Yong-ju (⅔ inning), and Sugi Moto Kouki (one inning) held Hanwha scoreless through the 8th, handing the mound to closer Park Young-hyun.

Park Young-hyun entered in the 9th and allowed a single by Lee Do-yoon but finished without allowing any runs, earning his 20th save of the season. Shortstop Kwon Dong-jin contributed by cleanly fielding a large ground ball from Heo In-seo and recording an out on Sim Woo-jun's fly ball, helping secure two outs.

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

*This content was translated by AI.