KIA's masterstroke pays off: "We won't rule out a three-game pitching streak" — Manager's gamble aimed at LG succeeds

*This content was translated by AI.

The KIA Tigers took the first game of their three-game series against the LG Twins. The manager had not specified a closer before the game, but it appears this decision turned out to be a masterstroke.

On the 3rd, KIA defeated LG 5-4 in an away game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

With this victory, the KIA Tigers, who are currently in sole fourth place in the league, escaped a three-game losing streak to mark a record of 73 wins, 61 losses, and 2 draws. Meanwhile, the LG Twins, in sole third place, fell into a six-game losing streak with a record of 69 wins, 61 losses, and 1 draw. The gap between third-place LG and fourth-place KIA narrowed further from three games to two games.

Ahead of the game, Lee Beom-ho, the KIA manager, began by saying regarding the closer, "I think we need to look at the overall timing right now before making a decision."

He added, "LG is no longer just full of left-handed hitters like before; they have a lot of right-handed hitters positioned as well," and elaborated, "So (Jeon) Sang-hyun might come out last, or if there are many left-handed hitters, (Gwak) Do-gyu could go."

The manager conveyed, "I think it would be better to use (Lee) Yi-ri around the seventh inning or in the middle of the game for now, unless necessary."

In fact, since entering the second half, Lee Yi-ri had been performing as the top closer. However, after taking the loss with two-thirds of an inning pitched, one hit allowed, and one run allowed against Jamsil Doosan on the 23rd, Lee wavered by allowing runs in three consecutive games. In the game against LG in Gwangju on the 26th, he pitched one-third of an inning with one hit allowed, three walks, and one run allowed. In the game against KT in Gwangju on the 29th, he pitched one inning with two hits allowed, one walk, one hit by pitch, and one run allowed, bowing his head in defeat.

The manager said, "For this three-game series against LG, we are preparing with the mindset of going up to a three-game pitching streak for everyone, as long as their pitch counts do not get too high, even if they are used briefly overall. We have already informed the players in advance." He continued, "There is a part where the pitchers who go out last tend to struggle a bit. Jamsil Stadium is also a large park. I don't know who will be more stable at the end, but I think the most stable pitcher should be there at the very end."

The first game was a complete success. After starting pitcher Neely recorded six and one-third innings pitched, eight hits allowed, six strikeouts, and four runs allowed (four earned), Gwak Do-gyu and Jo Sang-woo took the mound in succession, each taking responsibility for one out. Following them, Jeon Sang-hyun pitched two scoreless innings with no hits allowed, one walk, one hit by pitch, and one strikeout, securing the victory.

After the win, Manager Lee stated, "Jeon Sang-hyun holding down two innings had a big impact on the team's victory. After finishing the bottom of the eighth inning, I asked him, and he said there would be no problem with two innings. Even if he couldn't pitch tomorrow (the 4th), we pushed through because it was a situation where a win was truly needed."

He added, "Kim Sun-bin gave a safety bunt sign. He is a player who executes push bunts very well, so I trusted him and gave the sign. It must have been a burden, but he executed the play well as a veteran. Neely also did his job well as a starting pitcher by pitching more than six innings. Park Jae-hyun, Castro, and Na Seung-beom contributed to the team's offense with multi-hit games." He concluded, "As the season progresses, there are several crucial matches, and today seemed to be one of them. I thank all the players who did their best, and I am also grateful to the fans who supported us until the end."

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*This content was translated by AI.