'Seven runs in one inning, explosive outburst': KT, hotter than the heatwave, reclaims top spot after 70 days! Defeats Hanwha 7-4 for fifth straight victory [Suwon On-the-Ground Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz dismantled Hanwha Eagles starting pitchers on consecutive days, surging to a five-game winning streak.

On the 1st, KT defeated Hanwha 7-4 in a home game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season at SuwonKT Wiz Park.

With this win, KT extended its winning streak to five games, finishing with 58 wins, 2 ties, and 36 losses (winning percentage 0.617). This tied them with Samsung Lions (59 wins, 2 ties, 37 losses; winning percentage 0.615), who had no game that day due to cancellation from the heatwave, allowing KT to take sole first place by winning percentage. It has been 70 days since May 23. Hanwha, now confirmed in sixth place with a losing record, fell further below the .500 mark with 46 wins, 3 ties, and 48 losses.

The turning point came in the bottom of the third inning when KT trailed 0-1. It began when Choi Won-jun hit a single to left field off Bruce Zimmermann with one out. Kim Hyun-soo followed with a single to right field, and Ahn Hyeon-min delivered a two-run double down the left-field line to tie the game at 1-1.

Sam Hilary drew a walk to load the bases, and Kim Sang-soo hit a sacrifice fly to right field to take the lead. Heo Kyung-min was thrown out on a fly ball to right field, but Oh Yun-seok's shot that sailed to the far end of the left-field wall was not caught by Hanwha's right fielder, resulting in a three-run double.

Following that, Han Seung-taek and Jang Jun-won targeted the first pitch, hitting consecutive sacrifice flies to drive in one run each, scoring seven runs in total during the inning. Although Hanwha fought back with Noh Si-hwan's solo home run over the left-field wall and Heo In-seo's two-run homer over the same wall, they could not turn the game around. A disappointing moment came in the top of the fifth when Han Ji-yoon hit into a 5-4-3 triple play while chasing the lead.

Both teams combined for 20 hits, exchanging similar numbers, but KT showed slightly sharper focus compared to the previous day (July 31). Oh Yun-seok stood out for KT with two hits in three at-bats, three RBIs, and one run scored, including a game-winning hit. Ahn Hyeon-min also contributed with one hit in three at-bats, one RBI, two walks, and one run scored, reaching base three times.

KT starting pitcher Bae Je-seong pitched five innings, allowing seven hits (two home runs), two walks, striking out three batters, and giving up four earned runs to secure his first win of the season (now 2 losses). Hanwha's Zimmermann took the loss in his KBO debut, pitching four innings while allowing eight hits, two walks, striking out three, and surrendering seven earned runs.

For Hanwha, returning player Chae Eun-seong went 4-for-4 with one run scored, Heo In-seo hit two of four at-bats (including one home run) with two RBIs and one run, and Lee Do-yoon went 2-for-3 with one run. However, their efforts could not prevent the team's defeat.

KT's lineup that day was: Choi Won-jun (center field), Kim Hyun-soo (designated hitter), Ahn Hyeon-min (right field), Sam Hilary (left field), Kim Sang-soo (second base), Heo Kyung-min (third base), Oh Yun-seok (!first base), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Jang Jun-won (shortstop). Starting pitcher was Bae Je-seong.

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 was Bruce Zimmermann.

The first run belonged to visiting team Hanwha. In the top of the third, leadoff batter Lee Do-yoon hit a double down the right-field line and advanced to third base on Sim Woo-jun's sacrifice bunt with one out. Lee Won-seok then grounded into an infield play that brought Lee Do-youn home, giving Hanwha a 1-0 lead.

Despite surrendering a nightmare seventh-run inning in the bottom of the third, Hanwha remained resilient. In the top of the fourth with two outs, Noh Si-hwan lifted Bae Je-seong's slider over the left-field wall for a solo home run — his 22nd of the season, traveling 114.5 meters. Chae Eun-seong followed with a single to right field, and Heo In-seo capitalized on a hanbok-style off-speed pitch from Bae Je-seong, launching a two-run homer over the left-field wall for his 15th of the season, covering 129.1 meters.

However, misfortune struck again, extinguishing Hanwha's comeback hopes. In the top of the fifth, leadoff batter Lee Won-seok hit a single to center field, and Yonatan Peraza drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. From there, Han Ji-yoon pulled an outside high slider that struck Heo Kyung-min near third base, resulting in a 5-4-3 triple play.

Heo Kyung-min calmly stepped on third base to force out runner Lee Won-seok from second, then threw to second base to force out Peraza, and finally Kim Sang-soo threw to first base to retire batter Han Ji-yoon, completing three outs in quick succession. Video review did not change the outcome.

KT's victory was secured by an impenetrable bullpen: Son Dong-hyun (one inning), Woo Gyu-min (one inning), Sugiimoto (one inning), and Park Young-hyun (one inning) allowed no runs.

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*This content was translated by AI.