kt wiz defeated with 4 wins and 1 loss... Park Hae-min and Kim Hyun-soo lead the offense
LG Twins won the Korean Series for the first time in 29 years.
On the afternoon of the 13th at Jamsil Stadium, LG defeated the kt wiz 6-2 in Game 5 of the '2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League Korean Series (best-of-seven)' to secure their fourth victory. Although LG lost Game 1, they won Games 2 through 5 consecutively, clinching the championship with an overall record of 4 wins and 1 loss.
LG took over the Seoul team MBC Cheongryong, which was established in 1982, the inaugural year of professional baseball, in 1990. Since acquiring the team, LG, which promoted "Shinbaram Baseball" and rose to become the most popular team in professional baseball, has won both the regular season first place and the Korean Series championship simultaneously for the first time in 29 years. Including the MBC era, this is their third overall championship, following 1990 and 1994.
In the game, starting pitcher Casey Kelly pitched excellently, while Park Hae-min and Kim Hyun-soo led the offense.
LG Twins players are celebrating their victory over kt wiz in Game 5 of the 2023 KBO Korean Series held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 13th, securing the Korean Series championship. [Photo by Yonhap News]
kt had a chance in the top of the 1st inning with Kim Sang-woo’s infield single followed by an opponent’s error and wild pitch, creating runners on first and third with two outs, but failed to score the first run. LG also created a 1-out, runners on first and third situation in the bottom of the 2nd inning with Austin Dean and Moon Bo-kyung’s infield singles, but Park Dong-won hit into a double play, failing to score.
However, in the bottom of the 3rd inning, LG took the lead 2-0 when leadoff hitter Moon Sung-joo hit a center-field single, Shin Jae-min drew a walk, and Hong Chang-gi laid down a sacrifice bunt to create runners on second and third with one out. Park Hae-min then hit a double down the right-field line. Amid cheers from the LG supporters, Park Hae-min successfully stole third base during Kim Hyun-soo’s at-bat and scored on a subsequent groundout, extending the lead to 3-0.
Park Hae-min’s outstanding performance continued on defense in the top of the 4th inning. With two outs and runners on first and second, pinch hitter Kim Min-hyuk hit a ball dropping between left-center field, but LG center fielder Park Hae-min ran out and made a diving catch, preventing a scoring threat.
kt managed to score a run in the top of the 5th inning during a 2-out, runners on first and third situation with consecutive hits by Bae Jeong-dae and Kim Sang-su, as LG starter Kelly committed a wild pitch. However, LG responded again in the bottom of the 5th. With no outs and runners on second and third after a bunt single by Hong Chang-gi, an infield single by Park Hae-min, and a stolen base, Kim Hyun-soo hit a two-run infield single off reliever Lee Sang-dong, widening the score to 5-1.
LG Twins players are celebrating their victory over kt wiz in Game 5 of the 2023 KBO Korean Series held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 13th, securing the Korean Series championship. [Photo by Yonhap News]
LG’s scoring continued in the bottom of the 6th inning. Moon Bo-kyung, who had advanced with a double, was driven in by Moon Sung-joo’s RBI single to add another run. In the top of the 7th inning, kt’s Jo Yong-ho, who hit a single to left field, scored a run on a subsequent groundout and wild pitch, narrowing the gap to 5-2.
In the top of the 9th inning, closer Go Woo-seok struck out kt’s Park Kyung-soo, Jo Yong-ho, and Bae Jeong-dae consecutively to close out the series. As the final out was recorded, Jamsil Stadium in Seoul was filled with the passionate cheers and a sea of yellow from LG fans.
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