KT Wiz’s Kwon Dong-jin rounds the bases after hitting a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the ninth inning against the Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on Sept. 30.YONHAP
The KT Wiz pulled off a thrilling comeback victory over the Kia Tigers for the second straight day, cutting their magic number for the regular season title to six.
KT beat Kia 3-2 at the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on Wednesday, behind Kwon Dong-jin’s go-ahead solo home run in the top of the ninth inning. After rallying back to beat Kia 8-5 in 10 innings on Tuesday, KT extended their winning streak to three games and maintained a three-game lead over the second-place Samsung Lions.
Fourth-place Kia failed to close their two-game gap with the third-place LG Twins after their bullpen faltered for a second straight game.
Kia broke a scoreless deadlock with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kim Do-yeong hit a one-out double off the wall in right-center field before Harold Castro followed with a two-run home run, his 18th of the season.
KT immediately hit back. Choi Won-jun drew a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh before Sam Hilliard tied the game with a two-run homer with two outs. Hilliard became the second player this season after Kim to reach 40 home runs, moving into sole possession of second place in the home run race.
KT delivered the decisive blow in the top of the ninth. Jeon Sang-hyun took the mound to close the game in place of Lee Eui-lee, who had surrendered the lead a day earlier. But Kwon struck immediately. With the count at three balls and one strike, Kwon pounced on Jeon’s 142-kilometer-per-hour (88-mile-per-hour) fastball over the heart of the plate and sent it over the right-center-field wall.
KT turned to national team closer Park Yeong-hyun in the bottom of the ninth, and he protected the one-run lead for his 28th save of the season. KT starter Davis Daniel allowed two runs over six innings, while Kia starter Kim Tae-hyeong threw five scoreless innings. Both turned in solid outings but came away without a decision.
KT Wiz’s Kwon Dong-jin, left, is greeted by teammates after hitting a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the ninth inning against the Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on Sept. 30.YONHAP
Elsewhere, the Samsung Lions beat the Hanwha Eagles 6-2 at the Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Wednesday for their fourth straight win. Returning ace Ariel Jurado allowed two runs over seven innings to improve to 9-1 this season, while veteran Choi Hyoung-woo put the game away with a three-run homer, his 18th of the season.
The Doosan Bears beat the NC Dinos 6-5 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium after scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth to rally from a 5-3 deficit. Kang Seung-ho capped the comeback with the second walk-off hit of his career. The win extended Doosan’s lead over sixth-place NC to eight games and clinched the Bears their first postseason berth in two years regardless of the results of their remaining games. NC dropped their third straight.
The SSG Landers produced a dramatic walk-off win at SSG Landers Field in Incheon. They beat the LG Twins 4-3, scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth to erase a 3-0 deficit. Jeong Jun-jae delivered the second walk-off hit of his career. LG closer Son Ju-young suffered his first loss of the season after compiling one win and 30 saves.
The Lotte Giants beat the Kiwoom Heroes 8-6 at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, but Doosan’s victory eliminated Lotte from postseason contention for the ninth consecutive year.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
