'Lim Chan-kyu's 12th Win, Austin Dean Back-to-Back Blasts' LG Ends 66-Day Drought with Three Straight Wins, But KIA Also Wins Again: 'No Way to Escape' [Jamsil On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

The nightmare of an endless losing streak has finally been erased. The team surged ahead with three consecutive wins, securing first place. This victory, achieved through perfect balance between pitching and hitting, carries even greater significance.

Led by head coach Yeom Kyung-yeop (58), LG secured a decisive 8-0 win over the NC Dinos in their 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 26th.

With three straight wins, LG improved to 63 wins, 50 losses, and 1 tie, maintaining third place. This marks their first three-game winning streak since June 21, exactly 66 days ago.

After a thrilling extra-inning (10th) 5-4 walk-off victory the previous day, LG carried that momentum forward. Austin Dean hit an early solo home run in the first inning, followed by Song Chan-ui's leadoff home run in the second. Shin Min-jae added a two-RBI triple, and Park Hae-min contributed an RBI single, extending the lead.

On the mound, Lim Chan-kyu delivered a standout performance. He allowed his first hit only in the fourth inning, completely dominating the NC lineup. Throwing 105 pitches, he held opponents to just two hits over six innings.

Austin's clutch three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh sealed the game. It was his 35th home run of the season, and the bullpen successfully protected the eight-run lead, securing a satisfying three-game winning streak.

Lim Chan-kyu earned his first win against NC after 8 years and 1 month — precisely 2,975 days. Since July 4, 2018, when he recorded a seven-inning, three-run victory, he went winless in 14 games against NC (0-5 record) with an ERA of 7.24, struggling deeply. Today, however, he finally broke free from that nightmare and moved into a tie for first place in wins with 12 on the season.

After the game, head coach Yeom Kyung-yeop praised Lim: "Lim Chan-kyu performed perfectly as a starter. With Austin's leadoff home run and Song Chan-ui's second-inning homer sparking a big inning, we were able to take control of the overall flow of the game."

He continued, "With runs needed, Austin hit a three-run homer that secured the win. Overall, Austin led the lineup with two hits and four RBIs, and all players worked hard."

Despite the scorching heat, 16,376 fans attended the game. The '2026 Summer Holic' event kept water cannons spraying throughout the match, further energizing the crowd.

Coach Yeom said, "Even in today's hot and humid weather, many fans came to support us. Their encouragement gave our players extra strength to continue winning. Thank you."

The only regret was the outcome of games played at other stadiums. While LG achieved three straight wins, both KT Wiz and Samsung Lions — teams competing for first place — also won, preventing LG from narrowing the gap. They remain five games behind first-place KT and 4.5 games behind second-place Samsung.

More critically, KIA Tigers, who are closely trailing LG, also won, keeping the gap at just half a game. The only relief is that fifth-place Doosan Bears lost, widening their deficit to 2.5 games.

To push for more smiles in the standings race with a four-game winning streak, sweeping NC is essential. On the 27th, LG's starting pitcher will be Park Si-won. He allowed three runs (two earned) over two innings in two games against NC this season. Having recently transitioned to a starter role, there is hope for a turnaround. For NC, Natsuki Toda will take the mound. After pitching 10⅓ innings and allowing nine runs in two games against LG earlier this season, he struggled. However, if the lineup continues to perform well during their winning streak, there is potential for them to extend their run.

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*This content was translated by AI.