Park Seung-gyu's debut 10th home run explodes! Samsung evades KIA's late surge and races to a three-game winning streak, maintaining a 1.5-game lead over second-place KT [Daegu On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Samsung Lions secured their top position by overcoming the KIA Tigers' persistent comeback in a high-scoring game filled with home runs.

On the 8th, Samsung defeated KIA 6-4 at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in a home game of the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League', showcasing lineup cohesion and power hitting.

With this win, Samsung extended its winning streak to three games, maintaining a 1.5-game gap over second-place KT and firmly holding first place. Meanwhile, KIA's winning streak came to an unfortunate halt at the four-game mark.

Samsung started with Choi Won-tae as the pitcher, batting in the following order: Kim Ji-chan (center fielder), Park Seung-gyu (right fielder), Gu Ja-wook (left fielder), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Diaz (first baseman), Ryu Ji-hyuk (second baseman), Kang Min-ho (catcher), Kim Young-woong (third baseman), and Lee Jae-hyun (shortstop).

KIA started with Shirakawa as the pitcher, batting in this order: Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Park Sang-jun (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Castro (first baseman), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Ha Joo-seok (shortstop), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder).

Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Park Sang-jun (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Castro (first baseman), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Ha Joo-seok (shortstop), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder). Shirakawa started on the mound for KIA.

Samsung took the early lead. In the bottom of the 4th inning, with Park Seung-gyu leading off with a straight walk, followed by Gu Ja-wook's single to left-center and Choi Hyung-woo's walk, Samsung loaded the bases with no outs. Diaz grounded into a double play to second base, but runner Park Seung-gyu scored from third in the process. Then, substitute batter Yang Woo-hyun, who entered due to Ryu Ji-hyuk's injury, hit an RBI single to left field, putting Samsung ahead 2-0.

KIA responded immediately. In the top of the 5th inning with one out, Ha Joo-seok singled to left-center and a wild pitch put runners on first and third with one out. Kim Tae-gun then hit an RBI single to left field, cutting the deficit to 2-1. However, Kim Tae-gun was tagged out at second base while attempting to advance on a batted ball, missing a chance for additional runs.

Samsung extended its lead right after weathering the danger in the bottom of the 5th. With two outs and bases loaded, fourth hitter Choi Hyung-woo connected sharply with the second pitch from reliever Kim Beom-soo, driving in two runs with an RBI double to center field, scoring both Lee Jae-hyun and Park Seung-gyu.

KIA's resilience was also fierce. In the top of the 6th inning, leading off hitter Kim Do-young attacked the first pitch from reliever Satoshi, launching a massive solo home run over the left-field fence with a distance of 130 meters. Kim Do-young, who hit his 40th home run of the season, became the first domestic Tiger to reach 40 homers, closing the gap significantly.

But the goddess of victory smiled on Samsung. In the bottom of the 7th inning with one out and a runner on first after Kim Ji-chan's walk, Park Seung-gyu stepped up as the hero. He crushed the fourth pitch from KIA pitcher Hong Geon-hee over the left-field fence for a 120-meter two-run home run. This was his 10th home run of the season and his first double-digit homer in his debut year, sealing the game at 6-2.

Samsung brought in Jang Chan-hee in the top of the 8th inning to escape a one-out, two-run threat without allowing any runs, bringing victory within reach. However, KIA's final resistance in the top of the 9th was no small challenge. With a four-run lead, reliever Kim Jae-yoon faced Park Jae-hyun, who hit a solo home run over the right-field fence with one out. Later, with two outs, Kim Do-young reached on a single to left field, and Castro followed with an RBI double down the left-center gap, narrowing the score to 6-4. Kim Jae-yoon calmly recorded the final out under continued pressure, preserving the team's victory.

Samsung starter Choi Won-tae delivered a strong performance over five innings, allowing four hits, two walks, and three strikeouts while surrendering only one earned run, earning his seventh win of the season. The bullpen, featuring Satoshi, Lee Seung-min, Jang Chan-hee, and Kim Jae-yoon, held the lead through a tense late-game battle. Offensively, Park Seung-gyu shined with two RBIs, one walk, two runs scored, including the decisive two-run homer, while Choi Hyung-woo proved his veteran status with a game-winning two-RBI single in the 5th inning.

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*This content was translated by AI.