'Austin Explodes → 8 Runs in the 5th Inning' Mega-Twins Burst! LG Crushes Kiwoom 13-6, Secures Winning Series [Gocheok On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

After a long wait, the LG Twins finally saw their bats come alive and secured a winning series against the Kiwoom Heroes.

On the 13th, LG achieved a decisive victory over Kiwoom with a score of 13-6 in an away game held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul, during the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.' They scored as many as eight runs in the fifth inning alone to take control of the game.

With this win, LG avenged their loss from the previous day (the 12th) and completed a winning series. Meanwhile, Kiwoom failed to secure back-to-back victories.

On this day, LG lined up its batting order as follows: Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Moon Jung-bin (designated hitter), Song Chan-ui (left fielder), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Park Dong-won (catcher), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher was Tollhurst.

In response, Kiwoom set its lineup with Seo Geon-chang (second baseman), Hyu-ra (designated hitter), Davison (first baseman), Park Chan-hyuk (right fielder), Choo Jae-hyun (left fielder), Kim Keon-hee (catcher), Im Byung-wook (center fielder), Kwon Hyeok-bin (shortstop), and Yeo Dong-wook (third baseman). Alcantara started on the mound for Kiwoom.

The first run belonged to Kiwoom. In the bottom of the second inning, leadoff hitter Choo Jae-hyun drew a walk, followed by Kim Keon-hee's infield single through the middle. Im Byung-wook then hit an RBI double down the left-center gap, and Kwon Hyeok-bin added a two-run infield single to the right side of the field, making it 3-0.

However, LG quickly caught up. In the top of the third inning with no outs and runners on second and third, Shin Min-jae scored on an infield grounder to second base, cutting the deficit to one run. In the top of the fourth inning with one out and runners on first and third, Song Chan-ui's ground ball to the pitcher narrowed the gap further. Then, in the bottom of the fourth, Kiwoom's leadoff hitter Im Byung-wook connected with Tollhurst's first pitch (a 146 km/h fastball) and sent it over the right-field fence, extending their lead to 4-2.

In the fifth inning, the situation changed dramatically. LG's bats finally exploded. Opening the inning with a double down the left-center gap by Park Dong-won, LG capitalized on Shin Min-jae's hit and Hong Chang-ki being hit by a pitch to create a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity.

Park Hae-min then delivered a two-run single to right field, tying the game at 4-4. The next batter, Austin, launched a massive three-run home run over the right-field fence with a distance of 110 meters, instantly creating a big inning.

With LG leading 7-4, Moon Bo-kyung drew a walk, prompting Kiwoom to replace Alcantara with Jung Da-hoon. However, LG's offensive surge continued. After Moon Jung-bin's single to left field and Song Chan-ui's sacrifice bunt created a one-out, runners-on-second-and-third situation, Oh Ji-hwan hit an RBI double to right field, pushing the score to 8-4. As the batting order cycled through again, Park Dong-won returned to the plate and added a two-run single to left field, completing the explosive multi-run inning in the top of the fifth. The lead extended to 10-4.

Kiwoom did not give up easily. In the bottom of the sixth inning with one out and a runner on first, Seo Geon-chang connected with Tollhurst's sixth pitch (a 139 km/h cutter) in a 2-ball, 2-strike count, launching a two-run home run. This was Seo's second home run of the season. Kiwoom narrowed the gap to 6-10, igniting their comeback hopes.

This time, LG ran away again. In the top of the seventh inning, with no outs and runners on first and second following Oh Ji-hwan being hit by a pitch and Park Dong-won drawing a walk, Shin Min-jae hit an RBI single to right field, scoring runner Oh Ji-hwan from second base. Following Hong Chang-ki's sacrifice bunt, LG created a one-out, runners-on-second-and-third opportunity. When Park Hae-min grounded out to the shortstop, third baseman Park Dong-won scored to add another run. With two outs and a runner on third, Austin hit an RBI single to left field, scoring Shin Min-jae from third base. LG scored three runs in the top of the seventh alone, extending their lead to 13-6 and solidifying their advantage.

LG replaced starting pitcher Tollhurst, who had allowed six earned runs over six innings, and brought in relief pitchers. Lee Woo-chan, Kim Young-woo, and Lee Jeong-yong followed, holding Kiwoom's batters scoreless to close out the game. Austin went 3-for-5 with four RBIs, including a home run, while Park Dong-won, Shin Min-jae, and Oh Ji-hwan all recorded multi-hit games.

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*This content was translated by AI.