Kiwoom Heroes’ “An the General,” An Woo-jin, picked up his first win in 981 days. Kiwoom, buoyed by their ace—who topped the KBO in velocity with a 160.3 km/h (99.6 mph) heater in his previous start—halted Doosan’s momentum.
Kiwoom defeated the Doosan Bears 4-2 on May 2 at 5 p.m. at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul in the second game of the weekend series in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League. After giving up 16 runs the night before, Kiwoom bounced back quickly. Doosan, which had been riding a three-game win streak since April 29, went quiet after surrendering the lead.
Kiwoom’s lineup opened with veteran leadoff man Lee Hyung-jong (LF) and hot-hitting catcher Kim Geon-hee in the No. 2 spot, followed by An Chi-hong (2B), Choi Ju-hwan (DH), Lim Byeong-wook (RF), Park Su-jong (CF), Brooks (1B), Yang Hyeon-jong (3B) and Kwon Hyuk-bin (SS). Brooks, coming off a slump, dropped to No. 7 for the first time this season. As planned, An Woo-jin took the mound.
Doosan kept its top three intact—Park Chan-ho (SS), Cameron (RF) and Park Jun-soon (2B)—and slotted veteran catcher Yang Eui-ji into the cleanup spot, a decision that paid dividends. The rest of the order featured Kim Min-seok (LF), Ahn Jae-seok (3B), Yang Seok-hwan (DH), Oh Myung-jin (1B) and Jung Soo-bin (CF). Wes Benjamin started for Doosan.
In the top of the first, Kiwoom starter An dominated with a fastball that touched 158 km/h (98.2 mph), retiring the side. He struck out Doosan’s hottest hitter, Park Jun-soon, on three pitches after Park swung and missed on a high 158 km/h fastball with two strikes.
Kiwoom answered right away in the bottom of the first. Lee Hyung-jong reached on an error and Kim Geon-hee stole second. Kim, swinging with confidence, delivered a run-scoring single to right-center, and Lee raced home to put Kiwoom up 1-0.
Benjamin was no pushover. Signed to a six-week short-term deal after Paxson’s injury, the left-hander—who posted back-to-back 10-win seasons with the KT Wiz from 2022–2024—settled down after a shaky first and kept Kiwoom from extending the lead.
In a tight pitchers’ duel, Doosan took the lead in the top of the fourth. Cameron reached on an error to open the inning, and Park Jun-soon followed with a single to left to put runners at first and second with no outs. Yang Eui-ji delivered a clutch two-run single into left-center, and Park scored from first to give Doosan a 2-1 advantage.
Kiwoom’s offense responded in the bottom of the fourth. After one out, Park Su-jong walked and Brooks followed with a single. Facing Benjamin and the lower part of Doosan’s order, Kiwoom looked overmatched—until Yang Hyeon-jong recorded his first hit of the season, a run-scoring single to center-left that tied the game at 2-2. Kwon Hyuk-bin then ripped a two-run single to put Kiwoom back on top, 4-2.
An, the team’s ace, returned for the top of the fifth and kept Doosan off the board. Following manager Seol Jong-jin’s plan, An exited after five innings. Long-relief option Park Jung-hoon worked two scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh.
Doosan, which had pummeled Kiwoom for 16 runs the previous day, couldn’t solve Kiwoom’s bullpen this time. They failed to generate much against Won Jong-hyun in the eighth, and Kiwoom’s closer, Yuto—filling an Asia quota role—shut down the ninth to seal the win. Yuto recorded his sixth save of the season, moving him into the upper ranks in that category.
An earned his first victory since Aug. 25, 2023, after five innings with three hits, five strikeouts and two runs (one earned). His outing gives Kiwoom momentum heading into the next game. Yang Hyeon-jong, who collected his first hit of the season, went 2-for-3 with an RBI batting eighth, and Kwon Hyuk-bin was 1-for-3 with two RBIs from the No. 9 spot—performances that drew praise from manager Seol.
Doosan starter Wes Benjamin took the loss after 3 2/3 innings, allowing five hits, three walks, four strikeouts and four runs (three earned). Choi Jun-ho followed and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and recording one strikeout, but Doosan’s offense couldn’t mount a comeback.
The weekend series wraps up May 3 at 2 p.m. at Gocheok, when Doosan’s ace Gwak Bin squares off with Kiwoom rookie Park Jun-hyun. Gwak leads the KBO with 42 strikeouts this season, while Park aims to build on the momentum from his first big-league win.
