So Hyeong-jun hot on the mound as KT whizzes past SSG

SUWON, Gyeonggi — The KT Wiz defeated the SSG Landers behind a strong outing from starter So Hyeong-jun, as it won by 3-1 at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday.

Bouncing back from a three-game sweep at the hands of the Kia Tigers in Gwangju, KT kept pace with the first-place Samsung Lions. SSG suffered its second straight loss.

KT created a scoring opportunity with three consecutive singles by Cho Dae-hyun, Jang Jun-won and Choi Won-jun with one out in the bottom of the second inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Ahn Hyun-min delivered a two-run single down the left field line. KT then added a third run on a double steal by Ahn and Choi.

KT put runners in scoring position in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings but failed to add to its lead.

But So was more than enough on the mound.

So allowed his only run on a sacrifice fly by Landers’ Park Seong-han with runners on first and third and no outs in the third inning, then cruised through seven innings without facing another major threat. He mixed his two-seam fastball, cutter and changeup effectively to induce weak contact.

So allowed four hits and issued no walks or hit-by-pitches. His fastest pitch reached 149 kilometers per hour (92.6 miles per hour) and he struck out three. The victory improved So to 7-3 in his 19th appearance of the season, while his ERA dropped from 3.55 to 3.41.

So had thrown only 85 pitches, but KT manager Lee Kang-chul pulled him before the eighth inning, with his next start scheduled for Sunday against the Lotte Giants in Suwon.

Relief pitcher Son Dong-hyun pitched a scoreless eighth, while closer Park Yeong-hyun gave up a one-out triple to Guillermo Heredia in the ninth but escaped without allowing a run to earn his 25th save of the season.

“I had been giving up a lot of extra-base hits in recent games, so I focused on avoiding them,” So said after the game. “That worked well. My changeup stayed down in the right spots today.”

The victory was So's first in 45 days.

“The outcome of a game isn't something a pitcher can control, so I just prepared as well as I could,” So said. “After each outing, I tried to prepare well for the next five days. I just kept preparing with the mindset of, ‘What can you do?’”

So will join Korea's national team when it assembles Monday for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. With relatively extensive international experience from tournaments including last year's Premier12 and this year's World Baseball Classic, So is likely to take the mound in key games behind ace Doosan Bears’ Gwak Been.

“I've thrown more than 100 innings this year, but there have been fewer innings that I've been satisfied with than last year,” So said. “Still, I'm gradually getting better. I'll make sure I'm in good condition.”

Korea's biggest rival will once again be Chinese Taipei. Korea has struggled in recent meetings between the two sides, going 2-4. Chinese Taipei will be without several overseas-based players but remains a difficult opponent, with Hanwha Eagles pitcher Wang Yen-cheng among those joining the team.

“We've all completed our military service, so we have to make sure the Korean players go to the military too,” Wei Chuan Dragons infielder Liu Chi-hung said in a playful jab.

In Korea, male athletes are exempt from mandatory military service if they win a gold medal at the Asian Games.

“I saw that video on social media,” So said with a laugh. “I sent it to [Landers’] Oh Won-seok too, but I didn't know who the player was, so it didn't really fire me up or anything. It seemed like he was joking, so I didn't think much of it.”

In Daejeon, the Hanwha Eagles beat Doosan 6-1 for their first four-game winning streak of the second half of the season. Hanwha starter Ryu Hyun-jin allowed one run on three hits and one walk over six innings to earn his first victory in 89 days, dating back to a June 11 game against Kia in Daejeon. Ryu improved to 9-5 for the season.

Kang Baek-ho hit a two-run homer with two outs and a runner on first in the fourth inning, his 30th home run of the season. Kang surpassed his previous career high of 29 home runs, set during his rookie season in 2018.

The Kiwoom Heroes beat the LG Twins 8-3 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul for their second straight win, handing LG its third consecutive loss. Kiwoom opened the scoring on Choo Jae-hyun's RBI single in the top of the third before breaking the game open with six runs in the fifth. Kiwoom starter Ha Yeong-min earned the win after throwing six scoreless innings, which allowed two hits and four walks or hit-by-pitches.

In Daegu, the Samsung Lions defeated the Kia Tigers 6-4 for their third straight victory

Kia's Kim Do-yeong hit his 40th home run of the season off Satoshi Miyamori. Kim fell short of manager Lee Seung-yuop's record as the youngest player to reach 40 home runs but became the youngest right-handed hitter to reach the mark. The previous record was held by Chang Jong-hoon, who reached 40 homers at age 24 with the Binggrae Eagles in 1992.

The Lotte Giants snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 road victory over the NC Dinos in Changwon, South Gyeongsang. With the score tied 3-3 in the top of the fifth, Na Seung-yeup doubled before Go Seung-min hit the go-ahead two-run homer, his 16th of the season.

BY KIM HYO-KYOUNG [[email protected]]