KT Wiz and KIA Tigers played their ninth game of the season at Katie Wiz Park in Suwon, South Korea. The first game was decided by a KIA offense in the top of the seventh inning.
With the score tied at 2-2, KT took a one-run lead in the bottom of the seventh when pinch-hitter Jang Jang-woo singled to right field. On the mound, Ko Young-pyo continued his string of quality starts (6+ innings and 3 earned runs or less) in his previous 11 games. He had gone at least seven innings in six straight games, dating back to April 8 against the KIA Tigers.
Now, he’s in trouble. He struck out the first two KIA batters, Kim Sun-bin and Socrates Brito, with a strikeout and a grounder to second base, respectively, but his changeup slipped out of his hand against Kim Tae-gun. He then gave up a double to left to pinch-hitter Lee Chang-jin. Two outs, two on, two out.
In this situation, he faced Kim Do-young, a “second-year infielder” who had singled to left in the previous three games. He was batting just .158 in his last five games, but he was batting .297 for the season. He is 1-for-3 in his career against Ko Young-pyo.
It was a tense affair. Kim took advantage of Ko Young-pyo’s first-pitch changeup, timing his swing well and making a clean contact. The ball went straight to the left-field bleachers.
After picking off a high four-seam fastball on the body (for a right-handed batter) in the second pitch, Kim took a fastball on the same pitch in the third pitch for a foul home run that cleared the left-field fence.
With a favorable pitch count (one ball, two strikes), Ko fired an outside 134 km/h fastball. The ball crossed the borderline. The call was a ball. Kim Do-young had a good start.
Ko followed with a changeup outside the zone. Kim stuck her bat out long and cut it. On the ensuing two-pitch, two-strike at-bat, Ko delivered a low changeup. It followed the same trajectory as his fastball, sinking just in front of home plate. Kim picked off the changeup. Full count. Ko smiled slightly.
Young-pyo Ko hits a pitch, full count, on the ground. Kim couldn’t move. A curveball he hadn’t seen in the previous six-pitch game, and hadn’t seen in games three 토토사이트 and five, was low in the strike zone.
Ko slapped the inside of his glove with his right hand in satisfaction. Kim Do-young headed to the dugout with a somber look on his face.
Ko is one of the most reliable pitchers in the league. He also has the best second half pace. Second-year player Kim Do-young is improving with every game. Together, they put together a tense game. The fans at Wizpark were treated to a great baseball game.
In the two-on-two matchup, Ko Young-pyo had the laugh, but it was Kim Do-young who took home the win. In the top of the ninth inning, with the score tied 3-3, Park Chan-ho and Na Sung-beom hit back-to-back RBI singles to give KIA a 7-3 victory.