LG beats Hanwha while becoming fastest club to 1 million fans in KBO history
It took the Twins just 43 home games to break the attendance record, the fastest rate of filling the stands since figures were officially tracked in 2001.
LG Twins reliever Jang Hyun-sik delivers a pitch during the eighth inning against the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on May 12.NEWS1
The LG Twins celebrated a historic attendance milestone with a 5-3 victory over the Hanwha Eagles on Saturday.
Starter Jang Hyun-sik, who recently returned to the rotation after beginning the season in the bullpen, earned his seventh win as the Twins improved to 51-31 after avenging the previous day's loss. The Eagles fell to 39-39-2, snapping a two-game winning streak and dropping to sixth place after the two teams' sold out game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, Songpa District, southern Seoul on Saturday.
The Eagles threatened in the top of the first when Yonathan Perlaza singled with one out, but Moon Hyun-bin grounded into a double play.
After Hong Chang-ki was hit by a pitch and Park Hae-min advanced him with a sacrifice bunt, Austin Dean drove in the opening run with an RBI single.
A walk by Moon Bo-gyeong and consecutive singles by Song Chan-eui and Moon Jeong-bin added two more runs before a wild pitch and an infield groundout by Park Dong-won extended the lead to 4-0.
Wilkel Hernandez exited after allowing a single to Hong with one out in the second inning. The Eagles starter was charged with four runs on four hits and two walks over 1 1/3 innings.
Hernandez had thrown three scoreless innings against the KT Wiz on Tuesday before rain washed out the game, but he struggled after returning on three days' rest.
Jang, meanwhile, held the Eagles scoreless over five innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out three.
Hanwha Eagles pitcher Park Jun-yeong throws a pitch during a KBO game against the KT Wiz at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, on July 1.NEWS1
The Eagles' bullpen kept the game within reach as Park Jun-yeong tossed two scoreless innings and Jang Yoo-ho followed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Eagles cut the deficit to one in the sixth inning.
With two outs and runners on first and third, Heo In-seo launched Woo Kang-hoon's first pitch over the right-field wall for a three-run homer, his 12th of the season, making it 4-3.
The Twins answered in the bottom of the inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Austin drew a bases-loaded walk after a lengthy at-bat to restore a two-run lead.
Instead of using closer Son Ju-young, who had pitched on Wednesday and Thursday, the Twins turned to Yacksel Rios to record the final outs in the ninth.
Jang Hyun-sik had struggled as a reliever earlier this season before changing roles in June. Jang Hyun-sik initially served as a bulk pitcher behind Kim Yun-sik before moving into the starting rotation on June 17 against the Kia Tigers.
Over Jang Hyun-sik’s last five appearances, Jang has gone 2-1 with a 2.7 ERA across 20 innings. Although he had starting experience with the NC Dinos, he has developed into much more than a temporary replacement.
LG Twins pitcher Jang Hyun-sik throws a pitch during a game against the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on July 4.LG TWINS
"Jang Hyun-sik fulfilled his role well as a starter," manager Yeom Kyeong-yup said. "Kim Jin-su, Kim Jin-sung and Rios all did their jobs to protect the lead. It was an important game, and I want to praise the entire team for staying focused until the end and earning the win."
Elsewhere, the Lotte Giants defeated the KT Wiz 4-1 in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Saturday for the Giants’ second straight victory. The game marked the Wiz's third consecutive loss.
Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning, the Giants tied the game on an RBI single by Go Seung-min after a double by Hwang Seong-bin, then took the lead on ground balls by Victor Reyes and Na Seung-yeup.
Starter Jeremy Beasley allowed one run over six innings while striking out six to earn the win. Shota Iimura, Choi Jun-yong and Kim Won-jung each followed with a scoreless inning.
The NC Dinos edged the Kia Tigers 5-4 in Gwangju for their third straight victory. Cheon Jae-hwan delivered the game-winning two-run hit, while Park Kun-woo added an RBI double. The Tigers nearly rallied in the ninth after Park Jae-hyun led off with a triple, but he was out after failing to retouch third base on Kim Ho-ryung's fly ball to left, ending the comeback attempt.
The Doosan Bears defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 8-5 at Gocheok Sky Dome, Guro District, western Seoul, to reclaim fifth place.
Starter Choi Seung-yong earned his second win of the season after allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out seven over 5 1/3 innings. Park Jun-soon hit his 10th home run of the season off Heroes starter Park Jun-hyun in the fourth inning. Former Dinos slugger Matthew Davidson, making his debut for the Heroes, went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
Thousands of fans fill the stands at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on June 30.YONHAP
The victory also capped a record-setting night for the Twins at the gate.
A sellout crowd of 23,750 — the club's 35th of the season — pushed LG's home attendance to 1,008,068 through 43 home games.
The Twins became the fastest club in KBO League history to surpass 1 million home fans since computerized attendance tracking began in 2001. They broke the previous record of 45 home games, shared by the Samsung Lions in 2025 and the Lotte Giants in 2012.
To commemorate the milestone and thank fans, the Twins will hold a special event before its game on Sunday.
The Twins will hand out raffle tickets at the first-base and outfield gates before the July 5 game. One lucky fan will receive an LG StanbyME portable television in a drawing during the bottom of the sixth inning.
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.
