'Nightmare of the 5th' Defensive Ace Heo Kyung-min crumbled... Oh Ji-hwan's 4-hit, 2-home run explosion! LG surges to 5-game winning streak, crushing top-seeded KT 12-1 [Suwon Field Review]

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The fates of the same-aged infielders diverged. The trusted defensive ace of KT Wiz collapsed within a single inning, while LG Twins veteran shortstop Oh Ji-hwan unleashed a powerful bat, leaving only a triple away from a cycle hit. Thus, LG halted KT's 7-game winning streak and extended their own to 5 consecutive victories.

On the 18th, LG defeated KT 12-1 in an away game against KT at Suwon KT Wiz Park during the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League regular season.

With this win, third-place LG improved to 73 wins, 1 tie, and 55 losses after their 5-game winning streak. They maintained a 4-game gap behind second-place Samsung Lions (76 wins, 3 ties, 50 losses), who also won against Hanwha Eagles on the same day. Meanwhile, KT, which had been riding a 7-game winning streak, suffered a crushing blow and fell to 76 wins, 4 ties, and 46 losses, allowing Samsung to close the gap to just 1.5 games.

The turning point came in the bottom of the 5th inning when LG led 3-0. Park Hae-min and Austin Dean reached base with consecutive hits, loading the bases with no outs and forcing KT's starting pitcher, Logan Allen, off the mound. Against reliever Woo Kyu-min, Song Chan-ui hit a grounder to third base, at which point Heo Kyung-min, the national team third baseman with two years of experience as a defensive ace, began to falter.

Heo Kyung-min attempted a rundown play with catcher Han Seung-taek to tag out runner Park Hae-min at third but failed to get him out. After receiving the ball back, he threw to Woo Kyu-min covering home plate, but the throw went wide, allowing Park Hae-min to score. Fortunately, Austin, who had been circling third base and aiming for home, was tagged out by Woo Kyu-min's quick throw from third. LG extended their lead to 4-0.

However, the chaos did not end there. Heo Kyung-min failed to handle Moon Jeong-bin's routine grounder in one motion, allowing a baserunner. Following that, Koo Bon-hyuk's quick hit slipped past Heo Kyung-min and became a double down the left-field line. KT left fielder Sam Hiliard fell while attempting to field the ball, and shortstop Kwon Dong-jin's throw home was wildly off-target, allowing both runners to score.

Koo Bon-hyuk was finally tagged out after overrunning third base and heading for home, bringing an end to the chaotic bottom of the 5th inning. LG added three more runs in the frame to extend their lead to 6-0. KT could not overcome the six-run deficit and saw its 7-game winning streak come to an end. Kim Hyun-soo's solo home run in the bottom of the 7th was the only consolation.

LG dominated both on the mound and at the plate. LG starter Anders Tollhurst pitched six innings, allowing five hits (one home run), four walks, striking out seven, and giving up one earned run to record his 16th quality start of the season (six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs) and secure his 12th win (nine losses). In contrast, KT's Logan Allen took the loss after pitching four innings, allowing six hits (one home run), walking four (three walks, one hit by pitch), striking out five, and giving up four runs (three earned), dropping his record to 4 wins and 6 losses.

Offensively, Oh Ji-hwan was the standout. He went 4-for-5 with two home runs, four RBIs, two runs scored, and one walk. Had he added just one double, he would have completed a cycle hit. Koo Bon-hyuk also contributed with 1 hit in 4 at-bats and 2 RBIs. Song Chan-ui went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Austin drew three walks in two at-bats and scored one run. Moon Jeong-bin went 1-for-4 with 2 RBIs, 2 runs scored, and one walk, all contributing to LG's decisive victory. KT's lineup managed only scattered six hits.

On this day, LG lined up Hong Chang-ki (right field), Park Hae-min (center field), Austin (designated hitter), Song Chan-ui (left field), Moon Jeong-bin (first base), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Koo Bon-hyuk (third base), Lee Ju-heon (catcher), and Shin Min-jae (second base). The starting pitcher was Tollhurst.

In response, KT set their lineup as Choi Won-jun (center field), Kim Min-hyeok (designated hitter), Ahn Hyun-min (right field), Hiliard (left field), Kim Hyun-soo (first base), Kim Sang-su (second base), Heo Kyung-min (third base), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Logan.

Oh Ji-hwan opened the scoring. In the top of the 2nd inning, leading off against Logan, he hit a pitch that was low and inside over the right-field fence for his 12th home run of the season, traveling 119.1 meters.

In the bottom of the 3rd inning, LG's middle-order hitters showed their focus. With two outs, Austin drew a walk after a full-count battle and stole second base. Song Chan-ui then hit a large double down the center-field fence, bringing Austin home. KT intentionally walked Moon Jeong-bin, who possessed strong power-hitting ability, but the next batter, Oh Ji-hwan, delivered a sacrifice fly to right field, extending LG's lead to 3-0.

After the chaotic 5th inning ended, KT made a series of defensive substitutions. Heo Kyung-min, Han Seung-taek, and Woo Kyu-min were removed, replaced by Son Min-seok, Jo Dae-hyun, and Kim Min-su. However, LG's momentum did not waver. In the top of the 6th inning, Shin Min-jae reached base on a second baseman's error with one out, and Hong Chang-ki hit a single to right field. A ground ball by Park Hae-min to second base resulted in two outs with runners on second and third. Austin then drew another walk to load the bases. Song Chan-ui was hit by a pitch, driving in a run with an infield hit, extending the score to 7-0.

KT managed to score one run late in the bottom of the 7th inning thanks to Kim Hyun-soo's solo home run, but that was all they could manage. In the 8th inning, LG scored again in large numbers. The opposing pitcher was KT right-hander Jang Min-ho (24), making his first-team debut. Austin hit a ground ball single through the infield, and Song Chan-ui followed with a double down the left-field line, creating a situation with one out and runners on second and third. Moon Jeong-bin then delivered a two-run single through the infield. Oh Ji-hwan then exploded with a two-run home run over the right-field fence, sealing the game. It was his 13th home run of the season, traveling 127.6 meters.

The late-blooming rookie's debut continued to be rough. Pinch hitter Park Dong-won drew a walk, and Shin Min-jae hit a single through the infield, prompting Jang Min-ho to be replaced by Ju Kwon. Ju Kwon then gave up a one-run single to Lee Jae-won down the right-field line, increasing Jang Min-ho's earned run total to five. KT could not turn the game around, and LG's 5-game winning streak was confirmed.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original