[Sports Seoul | Suwon = Reporter Kim Dong-young] KT held off LG in a first-place showdown — and it came in dramatic fashion: a come-from-behind, extra-inning walk-off that kept KT atop the standings. LG’s late-inning relief group collapsed in succession.
KT beat LG 6-5 on the 28th at Suwon KT Wiz Park in the opener of their midweek three-game set, capped by Kang Min-seong’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th. It was his first hit of the season, and it ended the game.
A loss would have cost KT the top spot, so this was a high-stakes affair. Momentum swung all night: KT rallied to take the lead in the seventh, surrendered it in the eighth, then tied the game in the bottom of the ninth to force extras. They closed it out in the 10th and kept first place. LG’s late-inning tandem of Woo Kang-hoon, Jang Hyun-sik, Kim Young-woo and Kim Jin-seong all came up short, and the club watched a win slip away.
KT starter Matt Sauer delivered a quality start, going six innings, allowing six hits (one home run), one walk and two runs while striking out five. It was his third quality start of the season and his second straight. He was in line for the loss until the offense erased the decision.
In relief, Sugimoto Goki retired the side in order in the seventh. Han Seung-hyuk allowed two runs in 0.2 innings, and Park Young-hyun gave up one run in 0.1 innings — that outing included two runs charged to an inherited baserunner from Han. Kim Min-su then threw two scoreless innings (the ninth and 10th) and earned the win.
Offensively, Kang finished with the walk-off single for one hit and one RBI. Kim Min-hyuk had one hit and two RBIs, and Yoo Jun-gyu added one hit and one RBI. Choi Won-jun collected three hits and two steals. Jang Sung-woo drew a walk and stole a base — his first steal in 591 days, dating to Sept. 14, 2024 at Jamsil against Doosan. Kwon Dong-jin also had a two-hit game.
LG starter Lachlan Wells matched that quality, going six innings with three hits, two walks and eight strikeouts while allowing no runs. Over his last three starts he’s put up lines of 7 IP/1 R, 8 IP/0 R and 6 IP/0 R, yet he didn’t get the win after the bullpen surrendered the lead.
In the seventh for LG, Woo Kang-hoon allowed three runs in 0.1 innings (two were charged as inherited runs). Jang Hyun-sik then tossed 0.2 scoreless innings. In the eighth, Ham Deok-ju retired the side in order. In the ninth, Kim Young-woo gave up two runs in 0.1 innings; Kim Jin-seong allowed two inherited runners to score but logged 0.2 innings without an earned run. In the 10th, Kim Jin-soo gave up one run in 0.2 innings and took the loss.
Offensively for LG, Oh Ji-hwan had one hit and two RBIs. Park Dong-won produced one hit and one RBI. Moon Bo-kyung hit a solo homer as part of a two-hit, one-RBI game. Chun Seong-ho had two hits and one RBI, and Hong Chang-gi recorded two hits, including his first triple of the season, and scored once.
LG struck first in the top of the first. Leadoff man Hong Chang-gi ripped an opposite-field triple, and Chun Seong-ho followed with a center-field RBI single to make it 1-0. In the fourth, Moon Bo-kyung launched a solo shot over the right-field wall — an estimated 118.7 m (389.4 ft) blast — to push the lead to 2-0.
In the bottom of the seventh, KT put together a rally: Hilliard beat out an infield single to third, Lee Jeong-hoon followed with a right-field single and Kim Sang-su’s grounder set up a 1-out, 1st-and-3rd chance. Yoo Jun-gyu delivered a center-field RBI single to cut the deficit to 2-1. With two outs and runners on second and third, Kim Min-hyuk lined a two-run single to left to give KT a 3-2 lead.
In the top of the eighth, with two outs, Moon Bo-kyung drew a walk, a wild pitch advanced the runners, and Song Chan’s single put runners on second and third. Park Young-hyun came on in relief. Oh Ji-hwan ripped a two-run single to right to retake the lead at 4-3. After a walk to Park Hae-min, Park Dong-won followed with an RBI single to make it 5-3.
In the bottom of the ninth, KT loaded the bases on Kwon Dong-jin’s right-field single and walks to Yoo Jun-gyu and Lee Kang-min. Choi Won-jun beat out an infield single to short to pull KT within 5-4. Kim Hyun-su then drew a bases-loaded walk to force home the tying run and knot the game at 5-5.
In the bottom of the 10th, Kwon Dong-jin reached on an infield single down the line by second, and Kim Sang-su drew a walk to set up a 2-out, 1st-and-2nd situation. Kang Min-seong delivered a left-field walk-off single, and KT celebrated a 6-5 victory. raining99@sportsseoul.com
