'Song Chan-ui's 15th Home Run Bang! + Oh Ji-hwan's Ironclad Defense' LG, NC Held Back for Third Straight Win... 'First Day of AG Call-Up' Brings Mixed Emotions [Changwon On-the-Ground Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

On the first day of call-ups for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games (AG), fortunes diverged. LG Twins, filling the void left by Moon Bo-kyung (26) with a home run from Song Chan-ui (27) and ironclad defense from Gu Bon-hyeok (29) and Oh Ji-hwan (36), defeated NC Dinos, who were without Kim Ju-won (24), by one run.

On the 15th, LG secured a 3-2 victory over NC in an away regular-season game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at ChangwonNC Park in Masan Hweam-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam.

With this win, third-place LG, now on a three-game winning streak, improved to 71 wins, 1 tie, and 55 losses, closing the gap on second-place Samsung Lions. Meanwhile, sixth-place NC fell into a three-game losing streak, dropping to 59 wins, 2 ties, and 62 losses, widening the gap with fifth-place Doosan Bears (64 wins, 4 ties, 60 losses), who had no game that day, to 3.5 games.

The turning point came in the bottom of the eighth inning when LG led 3-0. John Kennedy took the mound and retired substitute hitter Shin Jae-in with a fly out to right field. However, after giving up a double down the middle to Park Min-woo, he was immediately replaced by Woo Kang-hoon, who then surrendered a two-run home run over the center-field wall to Blaine Crim. The ball traveled 130 meters, marking his ninth home run of the season.

After Woo Kang-hoon had taken a 2-strike count against Kim Hwi-jip but then issued a walk, LG brought in Son Ju-young on the mound. NC then substituted Oh Tae-yang as a pinch runner for the first baseman. Park Geon-woo followed with a double to left-center field, placing runners at first and third base. However, Lee Ju-heon and LG's infielders shone with their concentration. Lee Ju-heon induced Seo Ho-cheol into a swinging strikeout and then threw out Oh Tae-yang, who was far from the base, for a pickoff. In an instant, it was a double play. The inning ended right there.

In the bottom of the ninth, Cheon Jae-hwan and Kim Hyung-jun hit consecutive singles, putting LG in a bases-loaded, no-out crisis. However, Son Ju-young struck out Kwon Hee-dong and induced Shin Jae-in into a double play to end the game.

In the pitching duel, LG came out ahead. LG's Carlos Carasco pitched 5⅔ innings, allowing 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4 batters without surrendering any runs, achieving his fourth win (and second loss) of the season. In contrast, NC's Song Myeong-gi lasted 3⅔ innings, allowing 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 batters (including one home run allowed), giving up 2 earned runs, and suffered his first loss of the season (1 win).

LG's concentration shone when they needed it most. Park Hae-min went 3-for-3 with 2 hits, 1 RBI, 1 walk, and 1 run scored for LG. Song Chan-ui contributed 3-for-3 with 1 hit (a home run), 1 RBI, and 1 run scored, including his 15th home run of the season. For NC, Blaine Crim went 3-for-3 with 1 hit (a home run), 2 RBIs, 1 run scored, and 1 walk, including a three-run homer in the eighth inning to rally, but it was not enough to prevent his team's defeat.

On this day, LG lined up Shin Min-jae (second baseman), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin Dean (designated hitter), Song Chan-ui (left fielder), Moon Jung-bin (first baseman), Gu Bon-hyeok (third baseman), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Lee Ju-heon (catcher), and Hong Chang-gi (right fielder). Carlos Carasco was the starting pitcher.

NC countered with Choi Jeong-won (center fielder), Park Min-woo (second baseman), Blaine Crim (first baseman), Kim Hwi-jip (third baseman), Park Geon-woo (designated hitter), Lee Woo-seong (left fielder), Cheon Jae-hwan (right fielder), Kim Hyung-jun (catcher), and Kim Han-byul (shortstop). Song Myeong-gi was the starting pitcher.

LG took the early lead. In the top of the third inning with one out, Hong Chang-gi opened the scoring with a massive double down the center-field wall. Park Hae-min followed with a two-run double to right-center field, putting LG ahead 1-0.

Song Chan-ui widened the score gap with a massive home run. Batting leadoff in the bottom of the fourth inning, Song Chan-ui lifted a sweeping pitch that drifted outside and sent it over the left-field wall for a home run. The ball traveled 120 meters, marking his 15th home run of the season.

NC repeatedly missed opportunities to mount a comeback. Trailing 0-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out, Cheon Jae-hwan reached base with a double down the left-center field gap. Kim Hyung-jun then hit a ground ball that Carasco fielded and threw to third base, but Cheon Jae-hwan touched the base slightly faster. Meanwhile, Kim Hyung-jun safely reached first base. However, Kwon Hee-dong's hit went toward Gu Bon-hyeok's glove at third base, and Choi Jeong-won's ground ball was cleanly handled by first baseman Moon Jung-bin, allowing NC to score no runs.

Oh Ji-hwan caught a fly ball that bounced over his head from Ahn Joong-yeol. In the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs, Carasco issued consecutive walks to Kim Hwi-jip and Park Geon-woo, putting LG in trouble. With Hong Jong-pyo replaced by Ahn Joong-yeol at the plate and Go Woo-seok replacing the pitcher on the mound, Ahn Joong-yeol hit a fastball on the sixth pitch that flew into an awkward spot between the shortstop and left fielder. Despite the ball bouncing behind his head, LG shortstop Oh Ji-hwan made the catch to end the inning.

Thereafter, LG held on to their one-run lead thanks to Son Ju-young's pitching performance in the eighth and ninth innings and the focused defense of the infielders, extending their winning streak.

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*This content was translated by AI.