[Anchor]
Hanwha Eagles ace pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin delivered his best performance of the second half of the season, finally picking up a win after 10 unsuccessful attempts and an 89-day drought.
Reporter Yu Byeongmin has the story.
[Reporter]
Ryu Hyun-jin overwhelmed the Doosan lineup with precise control reminiscent of his prime.
Ranging from fastballs to cutters and changeups, he painted the corners exactly where he wanted, putting on his best second-half performance with three hits, one walk, and one run allowed through six innings.
The offense provided strong support as well.
In the second inning, Huh In-seo blasted a two-run homer to open the scoring, and in the third, Kang Baek-ho launched his 30th two-run home run of the season, breaking his personal record for most home runs in a single season.
Hanwha defeated Doosan 6 to 1 to extend its winning streak to four games.
After falling into a long slump following his eighth win of the season on June 11, Ryu smiled as he finally earned a victory after 11 games and 89 days.
[Ryu Hyun-jin / Hanwha Pitcher: Yes. It really took a long time. Winning the battles against the leadoff hitters seemed to be the catalyst that allowed me to pitch efficiently through the sixth inning.]
KIA's Doyoung also broke a long slump and finally hit his 40th home run of the season.
Stepping up as the leadoff hitter in the sixth inning against Samsung, he hit a solo shot over the left-field wall, writing a new piece of history as the first native Korean player for the franchise to reach 40 home runs.
Samsung had the last laugh in the game.
Starting pitcher Choi Won-tae delivered a stellar outing with one run allowed over five innings, while Choi Hyung-woo and Park Seung-gyu each drove in two runs to lead the victory.
League-leading Samsung defeated KIA 6 to 4 to claim its third consecutive win.
Second-place KT snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating SSG, propelled by a stellar outing from starting pitcher So Hyeongjun, who allowed just one run through seven innings on 85 pitches. Meanwhile, third-place LG, eager to gain ground, fell to Kiwoom as its pitching staff collapsed, extending its losing streak to three games.
Lotte escaped a three-game skid by defeating NC, powered by Ko Seungmin's game-winning two-run homer.
(Video by Park Jeong-sam)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.