바카라사이트Thanks to the focus of its bats and dedication on the mound in tough conditions, KIA has finally returned to its 5 percent winning percentage and is not backing down from the mid-table fight.

On Thursday, KIA won 9-3 against Hanwha in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, thanks to a focused batting lineup in the early and middle innings and the combined efforts of Yoon Young-chul and Im Ki-young. KIA (43 wins, 43 losses, and 1 tie) returned to the 5-percent win column with two straight victories. This is the first time since May 31 against Gwangju KT that KIA has posted a winning percentage above 5 percent. Hanwha (38W48L4D), on the other hand, was unable to extend its winning streak.

Kia faced numerous threats from starter Yoon Young-chul, who faced nine hits in six innings, but showed seasoned crisis management skills that belied his high school rookie status, limiting the damage to three runs and earning his seventh win of the season. In the seventh inning, Lim Ki-young pitched two shutout innings on just 14 pitches as the bullpen was exhausted. Kim Ki-hoon took over in the ninth.

At the plate, the lineup of Park Chan-ho (2-for-1 with a double and two walks) and Choi Won-jun (5-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs) was strong again. Na Sung-beom added three hits and two RBIs, including a solo shot, Lee Woo-seong had three hits and one RBI, and Kim Sun-bin had three hits and three RBIs. KIA continued its recent momentum with a strong offensive performance, pounding out 15 hits on the day.

Hanwha, on the other hand, suffered the loss after starter Jang Min-jae struggled a bit, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits (one home run) with two walks and five strikeouts in 3⅓ innings. Lee Chung-ho and Lee Tae-yang were brought in early, but neither player was able to make an impact and lost the mid-game power struggle.

Na Sung-beom hits a solo home run in the first inning

The batting lineup, which has been struggling in the scoring department as of late, was lethargic on this day as well. They managed nine hits but scored few runs. Noh Si-hwan and Williams hit a home run apiece, but that was it.

Hanwha had a chance to score in the first inning, but it didn’t work out. Oh Sun-jin singled to right, Kim Tae-yeon singled to left, and Moon Hyun-bin walked to load the bases, but Lee Jin-young watched a fastball up the middle from Yoon Young-chul on a full count and was stranded at second.

KIA then struck first in the bottom of the first, continuing their recent batting form. Kia took the lead in the second inning when Na Sung-bum hit a solo home run that cut Champions Field in half like a bullet. Two batters later, shortstop Lee Do-yoon, who was in the right place at the time of the shift, made an error on Choi Hyung-woo’s bunt between first and second base to keep the spark alive, and Socrates’ walk and Kim Sun-bin’s RBI single to right scored two more runs.

Hanwha had a chance to score in the second inning when Park Sang-un and Lee Do-yoon drew back-to-back walks, but couldn’t capitalize. Hanwha got one run back in the fourth inning when Williams hit a solo home run.

However, KIA answered back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. After Park Chan-ho drew a walk, Choi Won-joon singled to right-center field. The quick Park rounded third and came home, and the equally quick Choi Won-jun slid into third to make it 3-1. One inning later, Na Sung-beom singled to left field to make it 4-1.

Kim Sun-bin drives in the winning run with a hard-hit single ⓒ

Hanwha was also persistent. In the top of the fifth inning, Kim Tae-yeon singled to left field, and Noh Si-hwan, the league’s home run leader this season, hit a two-run homer over the right-center field fence to cut the deficit to one run. However, as Yoon Young-cheol remained steadfast and pitched the remaining five innings, the KIA bats scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to drive a wedge.

With a slim 4-3 lead, KIA started the fifth inning with a leadoff walk to Socrates. Kim Sun-bin laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on first and second, and Lee Woo-sung singled up the middle to score Kim. Han Jun-soo followed with a single to right to put runners on first and third, and Park Chan-ho drew a walk to load the bases.

Choi Won-jun then hit a single over the right field fence. Lee Woo-sung, the third baseman, came home with time to spare. However, there was a slight misjudgment of the ball by the second baseman, Han Jun-soo, and he was thrown out running from first to second base while Park Chan-ho and Choi Won-joon were in the way. However, in the meantime, Han Jun-soo drove home a run. It was recognized as a save after video review. KIA took a 7-3 lead.

With all of the bullpen pitchers on the ropes, KIA used Yoon Young-cheol for the sixth inning, and Lim Ki-young took the mound in the seventh. He retired the side in order in the seventh on seven pitches and stayed on the mound in the eighth with a comfortable pitch count. In the eighth inning, Lim struck out three batters on seven pitches, injecting a lot of energy into the KIA bullpen.

With a 7-3 lead, KIA drove in a run in the eighth inning. One out later, Kim Do-young led off with a single to right, stole second and moved to third on Na Sung-beom’s single to left. Choi Hyung-woo singled to load the bases, and Socrates struck out, but Kim Sun-bin hit a two-run double to center field to end Hanwha’s chase.