'Retirement Ceremony of a One-Club Man, Full House, Secured Victory' — SSG's Romance Delivers Fifth Straight Loss to Impatient Doosan [Incheon On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

It was an impeccable result for the retirement game of a one-club man. Kim Sung-hyun (39) started with steady defense, and Jeon Ui-san's go-ahead hit erupted in a game where SSG had been trailing. The starting pitcher delivered impressive pitching, and the bullpen executed spot-on relief work to secure a valuable victory.

On the 5th, SSG defeated Doosan 3-2 at Incheon SSG Landers Field in their 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game, led by Kim Min-jun's six-inning, two-run performance and Jeon Ui-san's go-ahead three-run home run.

SSG, riding a two-game winning streak and sitting in eighth place, improved to 52 wins, 66 losses, and 5 ties. Meanwhile, fifth-place Doosan fell into a five-game losing streak, finishing at 61 wins, 57 losses, and 4 ties.

Doosan set its starting lineup with Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Ahn Jae-seok (third baseman), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Son Ah-seop (designated hitter), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Jo Su-haeng (right fielder), and Jung Soobin (center fielder). The starting pitcher was Choi Min-seok.

SSG lined up its batting order with Kim Sung-hyun (second baseman), Park Sung-han (shortstop), Guillermo Heredia (left fielder), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Jeon Ui-san (first baseman), Jo Hyung-woo (catcher), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Kim Joseph (third baseman), and Oh Si-hu (right fielder). The starting pitcher was Kim Min-jun.

Today's game held special significance for SSG, as it marked the retirement game of Kim Sung-hyun, who played 21 years as a one-club man. Kim started at second base in the leadoff spot, cleanly fielded Yang Eui-ji's pop fly in the top of the first inning to close out the frame, and then led off the bottom of the first against Choi Min-seok, forcing him to throw eight pitches before striking out looking. He was substituted for by Jung Jun-jae ahead of the second inning, receiving loud cheers from the crowd as he greeted teammates lined up in front of the dugout.

Both teams' starting pitchers delivered steady performances. Kim Min-jun and Choi Min-seok both pitched scoreless through the third inning.

Doosan was the first to break through. After managing only two runs in their last four games and scoring zero in the two games prior, Doosan ended a 27-inning scoreless drought in the fourth inning. Leadoff hitter Kim Min-seok reached base with a double, then advanced to third on Yang Eui-ji's infield grounder to first base before capitalizing on Kim Min-jun's wild pitch to score at home.

However, SSG immediately responded. Jeon Ui-san, who had hit two home runs the previous day to lead his team to victory, delivered another crucial performance today. After hitting a double in his first at-bat of the second inning, he crushed Choi Min-seok's 133 km/h sweeper on the outside-low corner with one out and runners on first and third in the bottom of the fourth while trailing 0-1, sending it over the left-center field fence for a go-ahead three-run home run. This marked his second double-digit home run season since his debut in 2022 (13 home runs).

Kim Min-jun gave up one more run after walking Park Chan-ho with two outs in the fifth inning and allowing consecutive hits to Ahn Jae-seok and Kim Min-seok, but Choi Ji-hoon leaped at the center field wall to catch Yang Eui-ji's fly ball, escaping the danger. He retired the side in order in the sixth inning to secure the win condition.

From the seventh inning onward, Moon Seung-won (one inning), Kim Min (two-thirds of an inning), Jeon Young-jun (one-third of an inning), and Jo Byung-hyun (one inning) each delivered clean relief work in succession to preserve the team's victory. Kim Min-jun, who pitched six innings allowing two runs, improved his season record to 6 wins (2 losses).

Choi Min-seok threw 83 pitches over six innings and allowed three runs with solid pitching, but without sufficient support from the offense, he took the blame for his fourth loss of the season (13 wins).

Meanwhile, Incheon SSG Landers Field was packed to capacity for today's game, which featured Kim Sung-hyun's retirement ceremony. This marked the 17th sellout of the season. All 23,000 seats were sold out by 10 a.m. Previously, SSG had achieved full-house crowds in March during the two-game series opener against KIA, May 1-3 against Lotte (three games), the 5th against NC, the 15-17 against LG (three games), June 27-28 against Hanwha, July 4 against Samsung, and the 16-19 against KIA (four games).

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*This content was translated by AI.