Korean Series Game 1 Suspended with No Outs in Top of 6th Inning... Resumes at 4 PM on 22nd (Update)

Nail and Won Tae-in Pitch a Masterful No-Run Duel Through 5 Innings
Kim Heon-gon Breaks Tie with Leadoff Homer in 6th Inning

The first game of the Korean Series between the KIA Tigers and the Samsung Lions was recorded as the first-ever suspended game in Korean Series history. The two teams, unable to determine a winner, are scheduled to resume the game on the 22nd at 4 PM, starting from the top of the 6th inning with no outs and runners on first and second base, with Samsung leading 1-0.

KIA and Samsung met in the Korean Series for the first time in 31 years, playing the first game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO Korean Series on the 21st at Gwangju Kia Champions Field. Due to rain that started before the game, the match began about an hour later than scheduled.

On the 21st, during the first game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO Postseason Korean Series between the Samsung Lions and the KIA Tigers, the Gwangju Kia Champions Field scoreboard displayed a message announcing the suspension.
Photo by Yonhap News

Rain continued during the game, and eventually, as the downpour intensified, the game was suspended around 9:24 PM during Samsung’s top of the 6th inning attack. The rain did not stop, and after about 40 minutes, the umpires declared the game suspended.

Samsung was leading 1-0 thanks to a home run by leadoff hitter Kim Heon-gon in the top of the 6th and was continuing with runners on first and second base with no outs. The runner on first was Kang Min-ho, the runner on second was Diaz, and the batter was Kim Young-woong. The mound was held by KIA’s second pitcher Jang Hyun-sik. The ball count was 1 ball.

The game is scheduled to resume at 4 PM on the 22nd from the exact same situation.

Although the game was unfortunately suspended due to rain, the first game of the Korean Series unfolded as a masterpiece pitching duel.

Up to the 5th inning, both teams’ starting pitchers, Won Tae-in and Neil, pitched scoreless innings almost identically. Won Tae-in and Neil faced exactly 19 batters each through the 5th inning, throwing 66 pitches each. Won Tae-in allowed 2 hits, 2 walks, and recorded 3 strikeouts, while Neil allowed 3 hits, 1 walk, and recorded 6 strikeouts.

As the first game is the most important in the race for the championship, both teams’ managers started their best pitchers. Won Tae-in was tied for the most wins this year, and Neil had the best earned run average. As the Korea Meteorological Administration forecasted, rain fell before the game, causing about a one-hour delay and wet conditions on the field, but Won Tae-in and Neil showed brilliant pitching performances.

Neil had not pitched in a real game for nearly two months. After being hit in the face by a hard-hit ball during the game against NC in Changwon on August 24, he was replaced and did not play again.

Perhaps due to rusty game sense, Neil’s start was shaky. In the top of the 1st inning, he threw four balls to Samsung’s leadoff hitter Kim Ji-chan, allowing him to reach base. He induced a ground ball to second base from the second batter Kim Heon-gon to get the lead runner out first, but a fielding error by first baseman Seo Geon-chang allowed batter-runner Kim Heon-gon to survive at first base. Neil then struck out the third batter Diaz swinging but allowed a double to the fourth batter Kang Min-ho, creating a 2-out, runners on second and third situation. He escaped the jam by striking out the fifth batter Kim Young-woong swinging.

In the top of the 2nd inning, Neil threw nine pitches to induce three groundouts and retired the side easily. In the top of the 3rd inning, he allowed a hard-hit single to third base by the leadoff batter Ryu Ji-hyuk. A throwing error by shortstop Park Chan-ho created a no-out, runner on second base situation, but with a sacrifice bunt by Kim Ji-chan, Neil induced a ground ball to the pitcher from Kim Heon-gon with one out and runner on third, and tagged out the runner at third base himself to escape the threat.

In the top of the 4th inning, Neil struck out Kang Min-ho, Kim Young-woong, and Park Byung-ho consecutively. In the 5th inning, he only allowed a hard-hit single to third base by Ryu Ji-hyuk and finished the inning easily.

Won Tae-in also showed pitching as good as Neil. He retired the side in order in the 1st inning and allowed a triple to center-left fence by Kim Sun-bin with two outs in the 2nd inning but ended the inning by getting KIA’s 7th batter Choi Won-jun to fly out to left field.

In the 3rd inning, he faced a 2-out, runner on third base situation again but escaped by inducing a ground ball to second base from Socrates. In the 4th inning, he walked Kim Do-young to lead off, then after two outs, walked Kim Sun-bin after a 10-pitch battle, creating a 2-out, runners on first and second base situation, but handled a hard-hit ball by Choi Won-jun himself to continue his scoreless streak. He retired the side in order in the bottom of the 5th inning.

Kim Heon-gon of the Samsung Lions in professional baseball is cheering after hitting a home run as the leadoff batter in the top of the 6th inning during the first game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO Postseason Korean Series against the KIA Tigers held at Gwangju Kia Champions Field on the 21st.
Photo by Yonhap News

The game’s momentum shifted in the top of the 6th inning. Samsung’s leadoff hitter Kim Heon-gon made a big play. At a 2 balls, 2 strikes count, Kim Heon-gon drove Neil’s fifth pitch, a sweeper, over the right field fence. The ball, which seemed to fall deep in right field, showed extra strength and cleared the fence. Kim Heon-gon had been stopped by Neil’s sweeper with a 1-out, runner on third situation in the top of the 3rd inning, but in the 6th inning, he showed grit by targeting the same pitch and hitting a home run.

Neil was replaced after walking the next batter Diaz. Neil finished with 5 innings pitched, allowing 4 hits, 1 run (1 earned), 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts. He faced 21 batters and threw 76 pitches.

KIA’s second pitcher Jang Hyun-sik took the mound and immediately walked the first batter, Samsung’s cleanup hitter Kang Min-ho. With no outs and runners on first and second base, the fifth batter Kim Young-woong came to the plate, and at a 1 ball count, the game was suspended due to rain.