'Kim Jae-hwan's dramatic tying hit + Oh Tae-gon's game-winning hit' SSG completes stunning comeback against Kiwoom, 1-6 → 9-6! Hanwha pushed to 9th place as SSG takes 8th

*This content was translated by AI.

SSG Landers completed a scriptless comeback drama to rise to eighth place.

On the 2nd, in an away game against Kiwoom Heroes at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome in the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League,' SSG achieved a miraculous comeback victory, overturning a 1-6 deficit to win 9-6.

With two consecutive wins, SSG secured their 50th victory of the season (65 losses, 5 ties; winning percentage 0.435), narrowly surpassing Hanwha Eagles (49 wins, 64 losses, 3 ties; winning percentage 0.434) who lost that day and pushing them down to ninth place while securing eighth spot. Meanwhile, Kiwoom, shocked by the comeback loss, fell into a six-game losing streak.

Kiwoom lined up with Seo Geon-chang (second baseman), Choo Jae-hyun (center fielder), Davison (designated hitter), Hiura (left fielder), Park Chan-hyuk (right fielder), Ahn Chi-hong (first baseman), Yeo Dong-wook (third baseman), Kim Dong-heon (catcher), and Kwon Hyuk-bin (shortstop). Starting pitcher was Ha Young-min.

Visiting team SSG faced off with Jung Jun-jae (second baseman), Park Sung-han (shortstop), Heredia (left fielder), Jeon Ui-san (first baseman), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Jo Hyung-woo (catcher), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Ahn Sang-hyun (third baseman), and Im Geun-woo (right fielder). Left-handed pitcher Kim Geon-woo started for SSG.

The tense 0-0 balance was broken in the bottom of the 4th inning when Kiwoom's Hiura hit a solo home run against SSG starter Kim Geon-woo. After a full-count battle, Hiura connected perfectly with Kim Geon-woo's seventh pitch—a high outside fastball at 145 km/h—sending it soaring over the left-field wall and into the upper stands. The ball traveled an impressive 140 meters, marking his eighth home run of the season in a large arc.

SSG quickly restored the balance. In the top of the 5th inning with one out, Kim Jae-hwan reached base on a ground ball to right field. A throwing error by catcher Jo Hyung-woo allowed him to advance to third base. With runners on first and third and one out, Choi Ji-hoon hit a sacrifice fly to center field, tying the game at 1-1.

But Kiwoom's power hitters exploded again. In the bottom of the 5th inning with two outs, Seo Geon-chang reached base and Choo Jae-hyun singled to left field, creating a bases-loaded situation with two outs. Davison, stepping into the batter's box, watched the first pitch for a ball before connecting with a 132 km/h changeup in the middle of the plate on the second pitch.

The well-timed hit soared far beyond the left-center field wall. The official distance of the ball, which seemed to clear the scoreboard entirely, was an astounding 150 meters—the longest home run of the KBO League season so far. It was also the first 150-meter home run in 19 years since 2007. This powerful shot instantly shattered the game's balance and gave Kiwoom a 4-1 lead, marking Davison's 17th home run of the season.

Kiwoom extended their lead further. In the bottom of the 6th inning, Kiwoom's leadoff hitter Park Chan-hyuk was retired on a foul fly to first base by reliever Choi Yong-jun, but sixth hitter Ahn Chi-hong reached base via walk after a prolonged at-bat.

Then Yeo Dong-wook delivered a powerful hit. After swinging and missing at the first pitch and taking a ball on the second, Yeo connected with the third pitch—a 142 km/h fastball—and sent it soaring over the left-field wall for an 110-meter, two-run home run. A high outside fastball that was slightly off-target turned into a home run. This was Yeo Dong-wook's fourth home run of the season, and Kiwoom extended their lead to 6-1.

In the top of the 7th inning, SSG closed the gap again. Leadoff hitter Park Sung-han was hit by a pitch, followed by Heredia's double to left field, creating a bases-empty opportunity with runners on second and third. Kiwoom responded by pulling starter Ha Young-min and bringing in Yoon Seok-won, while also replacing catcher Kim Jae-hyun, but could not stop SSG's momentum.

.

SSG brought Park Sung-han home on a ground ball to first base by Jeon Ui-san, then narrowed the deficit to three runs with Kim Jae-hwan's RBI single to left-center field. Continuing their momentum with Lee Ji-young's ground ball to right field, SSG had runners on first and second with one out when Choi Ji-hoon grounded to first, but the runner was thrown out at second base. They maintained a bases-loaded situation with two outs and runners on first and third.

At this point, SSG's pinch-hitting strategy succeeded repeatedly. When Kiwoom brought in Jo Young-geon as pitcher, pinch-hitter Oh Tae-gon delivered an RBI single to right field, making the score 4-6. With two outs and runners on first and third, another pinch-hitter Han Yu-seom hit a fifth pitch for an RBI single to right-center field, bringing the score to 5-6.

SSG's persistent chase finally resulted in a tie. In the top of the 9th inning, leadoff hitter Kim Jae-hwan faced Yoo To and hit a dramatic solo home run over the right-field wall, tying the game at 6-6. The score instantly returned to even.

With momentum on their side, SSG did not stop. Lee Ji-young reached base with a ground ball to left field, extending the opportunity. SSG immediately replaced runner Lee Ji-young with pinch-runner Chae Hyun-woo as a strategic move.

SSG's gamble paid off. Seventh hitter Choi Ji-hoon hit a fourth pitch for an RBI single to right field, allowing pinch-runner Chae Hyun-woo to reach second base and setting up a bases-loaded situation with no outs. The hero of the comeback was Oh Tae-gon. With runners on first and second and no outs, Oh Tae-gon stepped into the batter's box and hit an RBI single to left field that just barely cleared the third baseman's reach, turning a 1-6 deficit into a 7-6 lead with a decisive clutch hit.

SSG added another run to seal the victory. Hong Dae-in laid down a sacrifice bunt on the first pitch. Kiwoom catcher Kim Jae-hyun committed an error on the throw to first base, allowing runner Choi Ji-hoon to score from second base and extend the lead to 8-6. Jung Jun-jae's sacrifice fly added another run, making it 9-6. In the bottom of the 9th inning, closer Jo Byung-hyun was brought in to close out the game.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.