▲ Hilliard
The third-place kt wiz in professional baseball defeated the second-place LG Twins for the second consecutive day, narrowing the gap between the two teams to 1.5 games.
In the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League away game held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul today (July 17), kt secured a 6-1 victory, powered by a one-man show from foreign hitter Sam Hilliard, who drove in 6 runs with two home runs.
While kt extended its winning streak to 5 games, LG fell to its third consecutive loss.
Hilliard, starting as the cleanup hitter and left fielder, hit a grand slam in the top of the 3rd inning with two outs and the bases loaded. He drove a curveball from LG's left-handed starting pitcher Lachlan Wells over the left-field fence.
Then, in the 5th inning with two outs and Ahn Hyun-min on base after a walk, Hilliard pulled a slider from Wells and sent it into the right-field stands.
Despite striking out 9 batters, Wells was undone by the two home runs.
kt starting pitcher So Hyeong-jun allowed only 6 scattered hits and held the opposition to 1 run over 6 innings, earning his first starting win against LG in 4 years and his 5th victory of the season.
LG managed to score only 1 run in the bottom of the 5th inning with two outs and runners on first and second, following a left-center hit by Park Dong-won.
In the 8th inning, with runners on first and third and no outs, three consecutive batters failed to produce, causing the team to lose its momentum for a comeback.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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