The Samsung Lions, who were on the brink of a losing streak, pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind victory thanks to a dramatic walk-off hit by Oh Jae-il.
In the second game of a three-game weekend series against the Kiwoom Heroes at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on April 26, the Samsung Lions were down 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning when Oh Jae-il hit his ninth home run of the season and eighth of his career to secure a 6-5 victory.
After a tense start to the game, the two teams traded a 1-1 pitcher’s duel through five innings before Kiwoom struck first.
In the top of the sixth inning, Kiwoom took the lead when leadoff hitter Dawson singled, and then scored four more runs with back-to-back hits off reliever Woo Kyu-min to take the lead.
Samsung pulled a run back in the bottom of the seventh on back-to-back singles by Kang Kang-ul and Kim Hyun-joon and a sacrifice fly by Kim Sung-yoon, but the inability to score any more runs put the game out of reach, prompting Kiwoom to pull Rado after seven innings of two-run ball and turn to his bullpen.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, when Moon Sung-hyun took over, Samsung literally created the “eighth inning of promise. After Lee Jae-hyun and Kim Ji-chan drew walks and Kim Myung-jong walked Kang Min-ho to load the bases, Samsung brought in pinch-hitter Oh Jae-il, and it paid off.
With the thrilling come-from-behind win, Samsung closed the gap to one game on the ninth-place Hanwha Eagles, who have lost five straight, and is now 3.5 games behind the seventh-place Lotte Giants, who have lost six straight.
On the mound, Baek Jung-hyun didn’t get the win, but he pitched well through the fifth inning, while Kim Tae-hoon, who took over the game, earned his sixth win of the season and Oh Seung-hwan, who closed out the game, earned his 22nd save.
With the performance of the hitters and the added stability on the mound, Samsung is looking like a team that is coming together at the end of the season, with Oh Jae-il’s home run arsenal slowly coming to life after a lackluster performance at center field.
Needed as a hitter who can deliver when needed, Oh Jae-il reactivated his home run arsenal after a 50-day hiatus against KIA on the 20th, and then delivered another crucial blow just three games later, making him another card in Samsung’s late-season surge.메이저놀이터
Riding high on the momentum of the upset victory and looking for back-to-back wins and a sweep, Samsung has named Won Tae-in to start the final game of the three-game weekend series, while opponent Kiwoom will send Kim Sun-ki to the mound.