KIA's seven-game winning streak shattered! Kiwoom Heroes escape five-game losing streak, tightly held by An Woo-jin returning from rest with a '158km thunderbolt' → [Gocheok Field Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kiwoom Heroes, showcasing a perfect combination of pitching and hitting for the first time in a while, defeated KIA Tigers to break their five-game losing streak.

On the 22nd, Kiwoom won 3-1 against KIA in a home game at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome as part of the '2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League'.

With this victory, Kiwoom escaped its frustrating five-game losing streak and laid the groundwork for a turnaround. Meanwhile, KIA failed to extend its winning streak to seven games, also halting its nine-game winning run at Gocheok that had continued since last season.

Kiwoom's starting lineup for the day was Seo Geon-chang (second baseman), Choo Jae-hyun (left fielder), Davison (designated hitter), An Chi-hong (first baseman), Park Chan-hyuk (right fielder), Kim Keon-hee (catcher), Kwon Hyuk-bin (shortstop), Eo Jun-seo (third baseman), and Park Ju-hong (center fielder). Starting pitcher was An Woo-jin. An Woo-jin, recovering from a sore throat, made his first appearance since the game against LG on the 11th.

KIA countered with Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Park Jeong-woo (right fielder), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Castro (first baseman), Na Sung-beom (designated hitter), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Ha Joo-seok (shortstop), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder). Adam Oller took the mound for KIA.

Given the matchup of 'ace-level' starting pitchers, the game unfolded as a pitching duel. Kiwoom was the first to break the tense 0-0 tie. In the bottom of the third inning with one out, Park Ju-hong hit a two-run double down the gap between left and center field after a grueling seven-pitch at-bat against Oller, immediately creating a scoring opportunity.

Seo Geon-chang then stepped up to the plate and hit an RBI single to center field on the third pitch, allowing Park Ju-hong from second base to score, giving Kiwoom a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Kiwoom extended its lead by two runs. With Kim Keon-hee's single and Kwon Hyuk-bin's sacrifice bunt creating a one-out, runner-on-second situation, pinch-hitter Kim Woong-bin reached base via a hit-by-pitch.

Park Ju-hong then flew out to left field, leaving runners on first and second with two outs. Seo Geon-chang then hit a two-run double down the gap between center and right field. Kim Keon-hee scored from second base, and combined with an outfielder's error on the play, Kim Woong-bin also crossed home plate, widening the gap to 3-0.

In the top of the ninth inning, KIA managed to score one run in their final offensive opportunity: Castro hit a two-run double off the right-field wall, followed by Na Sung-beom's RBI double. However, they were unable to turn the game around. Although opportunities arose with runners on second and third with one out, the game ended as it stood.

Kiwoom starter An Woo-jin led his team to victory with a perfect seven-inning performance: four hits allowed, one walk, six strikeouts, and no earned runs. Throwing 95 pitches, An Woo-jin reached a top speed of 158 km/h (98 mph). This marked his first seven-inning outing of the season, achieving the longest pitching duration of the year. It was also his third win of the season.

Won Jong-hyun and Yuto followed An Woo-jin to preserve the lead and secure the team victory. In the lineup, Seo Geon-chang, celebrating his birthday, went 3-for-2 with one walk and two RBIs, becoming the top contributor to the win. Kim Keon-hee also added offensive firepower with 2 hits in 4 at-bats and one run scored. Meanwhile, KIA starter Oller pitched well for six innings, allowing four hits, issuing two walks, striking out seven, and giving up only one run, but received no scoring support from his lineup and took the loss.

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*This content was translated by AI.