[Sports Seoul | Jamsil = Reporter Lee So-young] “The late-inning relievers look much more confident.”
SSG manager Lee Soong-yong (55) flashed a thumbs-up after his club beat Doosan behind a strong start and a lively offense. “We’ll carry this momentum through the rest of the series,” he said.
SSG took the opener of the three-game weekend set at Jamsil Stadium on the 8th, holding on for a 4-1 road victory. They struck early, protected the lead the rest of the way and improved to a 3-1 edge in this year’s head-to-head meetings.
Starter Beniziano picked up the win, working 5.2 innings while allowing six hits, two walks and one run with seven strikeouts. It marked his first victory of the season in his seventh appearance (he has two losses). After retiring the side in order in the bottom of the second, he yielded a walk, a hit and an RBI single in the fifth but surrendered no more runs. Durability remains a question, but the performance stands out as part of his ongoing rebound.
After the game, Lee praised the right-hander: “Beniziano delivered his best outing of the season. Congratulations on the first win.” Beniziano responded, “Everyone congratulated me. I kept the game ball from my first win and feel great about how I pitched. I’m grateful to those who believed in me. The season is long, so I want to keep helping the team with steady outings.”
A bullpen that had shown signs of shakiness recently turned in a clean, scoreless relay. Noh Kyung-eun (1.1 innings) and Lee Ro-woon (1.0 inning) each retired the side in order to shut down Doosan’s bats, and Cho Byung-hyun slammed the door to finish the job. Lee said he was pleased to see the late-inning crew regain confidence by shutting opponents down.
The offense backed the pitching with 12 hits. Lee highlighted Chae Hyun-woo for delivering the game’s first run and jump-starting the attack, and singled out Guillermo Heredia for a big offensive play and a decisive throw home. Oh Tae-gon added a three-hit performance to round out the contributions.
Lee made sure to thank the fans who filled the away section almost as fully as the home stands. “We sincerely appreciate the fans who came out to support us on the road,” he said. “We’ll prepare well to keep this positive momentum through the rest of the series.” sshong@sportsseoul.com
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