'Nightmare of the 5th Inning': Defensive Ace Heo Kyung-min crumbles... Oh Ji-hwan explodes with 4 hits and 2 home runs! LG surges to a five-game winning streak, crushing top-ranked KT 12-1 [Suwon On-site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The fates of the same-aged infielders diverged sharply. 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 to complete his cycle hit. Thus, LG halted KT's seven-game winning streak and extended their own run to five consecutive victories.

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

With this victory, third-place LG improved to 73 wins, 1 tie, and 55 losses after their five-game winning streak. The gap with second-place Samsung Lions (76 wins, 3 ties, 50 losses), who also won against Hanwha Eagles on the same day, remained at four games. Meanwhile, KT, which had been riding a seven-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 behind them.

The turning point came in the bottom of the fifth inning when LG held a 3-0 lead. Park Hae-min and Austin Dean reached base with consecutive singles, 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 ground ball 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 record the out. After receiving the ball back, he threw to Woo Kyu-min covering home plate, but the throw veered wide, allowing Park Hae-min to score safely. 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 ground ball on the first attempt, allowing him to reach base. Subsequently, Koo Bon-hyuk's sharp hit sailed past Heo Kyung-min and became a double down the left-field line. KT left fielder Sam Hiliard stumbled while attempting to field the ball, and shortstop Kwon Dong-jin's throw home went wildly astray, allowing both runners to score.

Koo Bon-hyuk was finally tagged out after overreaching from third base toward home plate, bringing an end to the chaotic bottom of the fifth inning. LG added three more runs in the frame to extend their lead to 6-0. KT ultimately failed to overcome the six-run deficit, ending their seven-game winning streak. The only solace came in the seventh inning when Kim Hyun-soo hit a solo home run.

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 batters, and surrendering just one earned run. This marked his 16th quality start of the season (six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs) and brought his record to 12 wins and nine losses. In contrast, KT's Logan Allen took the loss after pitching four innings, allowing six hits (one home run), walking four batters (three walks, one hit by pitch), striking out five, and giving up four runs (three earned). His record fell to four losses and six wins for the season.

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

On this day, LG lined up its batting order as follows: Hong Chang-gi (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.

KT countered with the following lineup: Choi Won-jun (center field), Kim Min-hyuk (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 bottom of the second inning, leading off against Logan, he connected with a pitch that missed the center of the plate and sent it over the right-field fence. It was his 12th home run of the season, traveling 119.1 meters.

In the bottom of the third, LG's middle-order hitters displayed sharp focus. With two outs, Austin drew a walk after a full-count battle and then stole second base. Song Chan-ui hit a powerful double down the center-field fence, bringing Austin home to score. KT intentionally walked Moon Jeong-bin, who possessed significant power-hitting ability, but the next batter, Oh Ji-hwan, delivered a two-run single to left field, extending LG's lead to 3-0.

After the chaotic fifth inning ended, KT made a series of defensive substitutions. Heo Kyung-min, Han Seung-taek, and Woo Kyu-min were removed from the game, replaced by Son Min-seok, Jo Dae-hyun, and Kim Min-su. However, LG's momentum remained unbroken. In the top of the sixth inning, Shin Min-jae reached base on a second baseman's error with one out, followed by Hong Chang-gi hitting a single to left 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 single, pushing the score to 7-0.

KT managed to score one run in the bottom of the seventh inning thanks to Kim Hyun-soo's solo home run, but that was all they could manage. In the eighth inning, LG once again scored heavily. Facing KT right-hander Jang Min-ho (24), who made his first-team debut that day, Austin hit a ground ball single through the infield, and Song Chan-ui followed with a double down the left-field line, creating a one-out situation with runners on second and third. Moon Jeong-bin then delivered a two-run single through the middle of 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 difficult. Pinch hitter Park Dong-won drew a walk, and Shin Min-jae hit a single through the infield, prompting manager Jang Min-ho to be replaced by Ju Kwon. Ju Kwon then allowed a one-run single to Lee Jae-won down the left-field line, increasing Jang Min-ho's earned run total to five. KT was unable to turn the game around thereafter, confirming LG's fifth consecutive victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.