Second-Place Samsung Defeats Hanwha to Chase Leader, Powered by Koo Ja-wook's Multi-Home Run Game

Professional baseball team Samsung Lions secured their first consecutive wins of August, fueled by Koo Ja-wook's five-hit, two-home run performance.

Samsung defeated the Hanwha Eagles 8-5 in a home game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season held at the Daegu Samsung Lions Park today (August 14).

Samsung, which recently slipped to second place after dropping to two wins and six losses in their last eight games and surrendering the top spot to the KT Wiz, ignited its bid to recapture the lead with this consecutive win.

Koo Ja-wook spearheaded Samsung's offense.

Koo shined with five hits in five at-bats, including two home runs and three RBIs.

Opening his hitting streak with an infield hit in the first inning, he hammered a go-ahead solo home run over the right-field wall off Hanwha starting pitcher Bruce Zimmermann in the fourth.

Samsung extended its lead to 3-0 in the fifth with back-to-back home runs by Kang Min-ho and Lee Jae-hyun, followed by an RBI single to left field from Koo Ja-wook with runners on first and second with no outs.

With the score widened to 7-1 in the sixth, Koo cleared the right fence once again for his 12th home run of the season, and completed his five-hit game with a single to right field in his final at-bat in the eighth.

Samsung recorded a four-home run game for the first time in 78 days, since their match against the SSG Landers in Incheon on May 28 (five home runs).

Hanwha mounted a fierce pursuit with three home runs.

Moon Hyun-bin launched a solo homer in the sixth, followed by a solo shot from Kang Baek-ho and a three-run homer from Park Jung-hyun in the eighth, narrowing the gap to 5-8 and bringing them within striking distance.

However, their momentum was halted when Roh Si-hwan grounded into a double play with a runner on first and no outs in the ninth.

(Photo provided by Samsung Lions, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.