▲ kt wiz Jang Jin-hyuk
League-leading kt wiz secured a walk-off victory against the Doosan Bears for the second consecutive day, powered by Jang Jin-hyuk's dramatic walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning.
kt won 5-4 in their regular season home game against Doosan at Suwon kt wiz Park today (the 27th).
Having won the previous day thanks to Kim Hyun-su's 9th-inning walk-off RBI single, kt extended its winning streak to two games, maintaining a half-game lead over the second-place Samsung Lions, who also won today.
The sixth-place Doosan fell to a two-game losing streak.
kt gave up the game's first run in the top of the 2nd inning when starting pitcher Ko Young-pyo allowed three consecutive hits to Park Chan-ho, Cho Su-hang, and Yoon Jun-ho with two outs, but kt turned the game around in the bottom of the 2nd.
With runners on 1st and 2nd and two outs following consecutive hits by Kim Sang-su and Huh Kyung-min, Han Seung-taek hit an RBI single to right field to tie the game. During the subsequent at-bat by Kwon Dong-jin, 3rd base runner Huh Kyung-min crossed home plate following a strikeout and a wild pitch on a dropped third strike.
Doosan starting pitcher Choi Seung-yong's one-bounce pitch was not controlled by catcher Yoon Jun-ho, leading to the score.
kt added another run in the bottom of the 4th inning capitalizing on the opponent's defensive mistake.
With two outs and a runner on 3rd base—created by leadoff hitter Kim Sang-su's single to right field and advancement by Huh Kyung-min and Jang Jin-hyuk—Doosan 3rd baseman Ahn Jae-seok threw wildly to 1st base on Han Seung-taek's batted ball.
While he successfully fielded the difficult one-bounce ball, the ensuing play fell short.
Leading 3-1, kt extended its lead by another run in the bottom of the 5th inning taking advantage of Doosan's lax play.
After Kim Hyun-su got on base via a hit-by-pitch and advanced to 2nd base on Choi Seung-yong's wild pitch, he scored on Ahn Hyun-min's RBI double down the left-field line.
Ko Young-pyo completely shut down the Doosan lineup after giving up runs in the 2nd inning.
Notably, he retired the side in order for three straight innings from the 5th to the 7th.
However, kt allowed Doosan to tie the game in the 8th inning after Ko Young-pyo left the mound.
Relief pitcher Koki Sugimoto walked Jung Soo-bin and allowed a single to left field by Park Jun-soon, putting runners on 1st and 2nd with one out, before surrendering a game-tying 3-run home run over the left-field wall to the subsequent batter, Yang Eui-ji.
Having blown the lead right before the victory, kt did not give up.
They put closer Park Young-hyun on the mound for the defense in the top of the 9th, dragging the game into extra innings.
In the bottom of the 11th with the score tied 4-4, leadoff hitter Jang Jin-hyuk faced Doosan's Lee Yong-chan, driving a 3-ball 1-strike 5th-pitch fastball over the right-field fence for a walk-off home run.
Jang finished the day with 1 hit in 5 at-bats, but that single hit was a walk-off home run that led his team to victory.
(Photo provided by kt, Yonhap News)
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