"Wow," Kim Do-young's "first since debut" personal record is amazing! It exploded again with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, a multi-home run explosion! "Should we just filter it out automatically..." KIA defeats LG to seize the upper hand in the fateful Game 1 [Preliminary Playoffs Game 1 On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The KIA Tigers defeated the LG Twins in Game 1 of the best-of-five preliminary playoff series, seizing an early advantage.

KIA defeated LG 5-1 in Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO postseason playoff series on the 17th at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field.

KIA, which finished the regular season in third place and secured an early berth in the wild card series, took the first game to gain a favorable position. KIA had taken four days off after completing its final regular-season matchup against LG on the 12th. The team continued its upward momentum with a victory in this game.

In contrast, LG, which finished the regular season in fourth place and advanced to the playoff stage by defeating Doosan Bears in a single game in the Wild Card Decider, fell behind 0-1. LG had won the first game of the Wild Card Decider against Doosan at Jamsil Stadium on the 14th with a score of 4-1 to advance to the playoff stage. After two days of rest, they took the field in today's match but ended up suffering a defeat.

KIA's starting lineup on the day was as follows: Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Kim Sun-bin (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Castro (first baseman), Na Seong-beom (right fielder), Kim Gyu-seong (second baseman), Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Kim Tae-goon (catcher), and Ha Ju-seok (shortstop). James Neal was the starting pitcher. It was notable that Kim Gyu-seong and Ha Ju-seok formed the keystone combination.

Ahead of the game, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho explained in an interview with reporters regarding the batting order: "(Park) Jung-woo is currently feeling unwell and reportedly finds it difficult to start today. I was torn between (Kim) Sun-bin and (Kim) Gyu-seong for the No. 2 spot. However, Sun-bin has more experience playing in big games. While he was strong during the regular season as well, I judged that placing Sun-bin higher up in the order would better connect to our middle of the lineup and increase our scoring probability, so I put him in the No. 2 slot today."

Following this, the manager stated, "I believe the top of the batting order, specifically the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, is the most important. Therefore, I placed players who are relatively precise and capable of managing the flow of the game in those positions. I see it as extremely important how opportunities are created as the lineup progresses from the No. 1 and No. 2 hitters to the No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 hitters," expressing his expectations.

In response, LG arranged its starting lineup in the following order: Hong Chang-gi (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin Dean (designated hitter), Moon Jung-bin (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Song Chan-ui (left fielder), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Park Dong-won (catcher), and Koo Bon-hyuk (second baseman). Tolerhurst was the starting pitcher. With Oh Ji-hwan returning from injury, Shin Min-jae, who suffered a hamstring injury in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, started the game on the bench.

Ahead of the game, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop began by saying, "Oh Ji-hwan has recovered well overall. The training staff assessed that he is in good condition to start, so it seems like he will be fine." He then added, "(Shin) Min-jae will likely struggle as a starter, but it is possible for him to come on in the latter half of the game." Regarding Son Ju-young, who missed the Wild Card Series due to laryngitis, Yeom explained, "He did bullpen pitching today (the 17th), and it was not bad. If he is okay, we plan to use him as a middle reliever starting tomorrow (the 18th) and then try using him as the closer in subsequent games." He added, "Today as well, we will proceed with the same approach (collective closing) without a designated closer."

With both teams scoreless through the first inning, each side hit a big one in the second. In the top of the second, LG came to bat with Song Chan-ui at the plate in a no-out, no-runner situation. With the count 1-1, Song attacked a third-pitch sweeper down the middle and drew a solo home run over the left-field fence.

KIA immediately responded in the bottom of the second inning. Leadoff batter Castro hit a low, inside cutter (141 km/h) as the second pitch on a 1-0 count. The ball sailed over the right field fence for a tying solo home run. The score was tied at 1-1.

Then, in the bottom of the fourth inning, KIA turned the game around. A blast from a superstar changed the momentum. With one out and no runners on base, Kim Do-young stepped to the plate. He crushed a 149 km/h first-pitch fastball thrown by Tolhurst into the inner zone, sending it over the left-field fence for a solo home run. It was the moment KIA took a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, KIA extended their lead by one run, effectively taking control of the game. Leadoff hitter Park Jae-hyun hit a fly ball to left field that Song Chan-ui failed to catch, resulting in an error. Subsequently, on Kim Sun-bin's ground ball to third base, LG third baseman Moon Bo-kyung committed a fielding error, allowing runner Park Jae-hyun from first base to reach third base safely. The situation was runners on first and third with no outs. At this point, LG removed starting pitcher Tolerhurst and brought in Woo Kang-hoon. Against Woo, Kim Do-young hit a sacrifice fly to right field for an RBI. The score became 3-1.

In the end, KIA drove the final nail into the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. The star of the show was once again Kim Do-young. In the bottom of the eighth, with KIA at bat, LG removed Lee Woo-chan and brought in Jang Hyun-seok. After two outs, Kim Sun-bin reached base on a single to center field. KIA then sent in Kim Min-kyu as a pinch runner. The next batter was Kim Do-young. Once again, Kim Do-young delivered a big hit, proving his presence. After a full count, he swung at the sixth pitch, a forkball (133 km/h) located right down the middle of the plate. The ball soared deep into center field, clearing the outfield wall and landing just in front of the scoreboard.

It was Kim Do-young's decisive two-run home run. With this home run, Kim Do-young tied the record for the most home runs in a single Preliminary Playoffs game (2), a mark previously shared by Kim Yong-chul (Samsung) against Binggrae on October 7, 1990, in the second leg of the Daegu Citizen Series, and nine other occasions. It was also the moment Kim Do-young recorded his first career postseason multi-home run performance since his debut. Ultimately, KIA took pitcher Jeon Sang-hyun to the mound in the ninth inning as well, successfully protecting their four-run lead to secure the victory. Neil marked 7 innings pitched, 4 hits allowed, 6 strikeouts, and 1 run allowed (1 earned) to earn the win. Neil was selected as the Daily MVP for the first Preliminary Playoffs game. Following him, Sung Young-tak (2/3 of an inning), Gwak Do-gyu (0 innings), and Jeon Sang-hyun (1 1/3 innings) took turns on the mound to preserve the team's victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original