'8th Inning, 1-3: Koo Ja-wook's tying RBI double' Samsung ties Kiwoom 3-3; chasing top-seeded KT by 0.5 game [Gocheok On-site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Samsung Lions and Kiwoom Heroes could not decide a winner after a tightly contested match.

Samsung and Kiwoom drew 3-3 in their '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League' showdown held on the 25th at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome. Samsung, trailing 1-3, tied the game in the 8th inning but ultimately failed to take the lead, leaving both teams satisfied with a draw. As a result, second-place Samsung narrowed the gap to top-seeded KT Wiz by just half a game, finishing with 65 wins, 44 losses, and 3 draws. Kiwoom recorded 42 wins, 72 losses, and 3 draws.

Samsung's starting lineup for the day was: Center fielder Kim Ji-chan, left fielder Koo Ja-wook, designated hitter Choi Hyung-woo, first baseman Lewin Diaz, right fielder Kim Tae-hoon, second baseman Ryu Ji-hyuk, third baseman Kim Young-woong, shortstop Park Gye-beom, and catcher Kang Min-ho. Starting pitcher Austin Bost took the mound.

Kiwoom countered with a lineup featuring: Second baseman Seo Geon-chang, third baseman Kim Woong-bin, designated hitter Davison, first baseman An Chi-hong, catcher Kim Geon-hee, right fielder Park Chan-hyuk, shortstop Kwon Hyuk-bin, left fielder Lee Hyung-jong, and center fielder Park Ju-hong. Raul Alcantara started on the mound for Kiwoom.

Kiwoom took the lead first. In the bottom of the 1st inning, after one out, Kim Woong-bin singled to left field, and after two outs, An Chi-hong hit an infield single, putting runners on first and second. Then, catcher Kim Geon-hee hit a two-run double to left-center, scoring Kim Woong-bin and giving Kiwoom a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Seo Geon-chang's bat caught fire. Batting leadoff against Samsung starter Bost, he hit a solo home run over the right-field fence on the fourth pitch—a 128 km/h slider—after falling behind 1-2 in the count. This was his third home run of the season, traveling 115 meters. The score became 2-0.

Samsung did not stay silent. In the top of the 4th inning with two outs and no runners on base, Lewin Diaz hit a 150 km/h fastball from Kiwoom starter Alcantara over the right-field fence. This massive solo home run, traveling 130 meters, was his 20th of the season, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Kiwoom extended their lead again in the bottom of the 7th inning. After Lee Hyung-jong drew a walk as the leadoff batter and a subsequent groundout created two outs with a runner on first, the pinch-hitter substitution proved effective. Pinch-hitter Yeo Dong-wook hit a large two-run triple over the left-fielder's head off reliever Jang Chan-hee's second pitch, making it 3-1.

Samsung tied the game again in the top of the 8th inning. Leadoff batter Jeon Byeong-woo opened the scoring with a double to right field. After pinch-runner Yang Woo-hyun was inserted and pinch-hitter Kim Sung-yoon drew a walk, the bases were loaded with no outs. Then, with one out and runners on second and third following Kim Ji-chan's sacrifice bunt, hero Koo Ja-wook stepped up. He hit a two-run double to left-center off reliever Yoo To's second pitch, tying the game at 3-3.

Both teams then entered extra innings but failed to break the deadlock. With no additional runs scored in both the 10th and 11th innings, the game ended in a 3-3 draw. Samsung's Kim Jae-yun in the 10th and right-handed reliever Lee Seung-hyun in the 11th allowed no runs, while Kiwoom's Kim Sun-gi and Yoon Seok-won tightly held down Samsung's lineup during extra innings.

Most notably, Samsung starter Bost pitched six innings, allowing seven hits (one home run) and two earned runs—the longest outing of his season so far. Kiwoom starter Alcantara also pitched well with six innings, three hits allowed (one home run), and one earned run, but could not secure the win.

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*This content was translated by AI.