Wiz lean on substitute starter Bae Je-seong in game against Bears, restore lead over Lions
KT beat the Doosan Bears 12-6, restoring their lead over the second-place Samsung Lions. They are now up by three games.
Bae Je-seong of the KT Wiz pitches in the first inning against the KIA Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on Sept. 4.
YONHAP
The first-place KT Wiz found some breathing room again, thanks to substitute starter Bae Je-seong.
KT beat the Doosan Bears 12-6 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Sunday. With 20 hits, the Wiz restored their lead over the second-place Samsung Lions. They are now up by three games.
The Wiz’s offense struck early. Sam Hilliard singled to right to open the second inning, and Jang Sung-woo drew a walk. Infielder Kim Sang-su then laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third with one out.
Ryu Hyun-in followed with an RBI single to right for the game’s first run, and Han Seung-taek added another run with a single to left for a 2-0 lead.
The Wiz did not let up the pressure. Jang Jun-won drove in a run with a double to left, and Choi Won-jun added an RBI single up the middle. A wild pitch then stretched the lead to 5-0.
Captain Jang Sung-woo added a big blow in the third. With one out and a runner on first, Jang launched a two-run homer off Doosan starter Choi Seung-yong.
KT added another run in the fourth and four more later to secure their win.
Bae did the rest on the mound.
With So Hyeong-jun and Oh Won-seok away at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, KT has turned to Bae as a replacement starter.
He delivered six scoreless innings on 87 pitches. He allowed three hits and struck out four to set up the victory.
Meanwhile, the Hanwha Eagles beat the Lotte Giants 6-2 to snap an 11-game losing streak at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on Sunday.
The Kiwoom Heroes defeated the NC Dinos 8-4 in Changwon, South Gyeongsang.
The game between the LG Twins and Kia Tigers in Gwangju was declared a no-game because of rain.
BY KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]
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.
