The Samsung Lions went all-in with ace David Buchanan and closer Min-ho Kang in the first game of a doubleheader and it paid off. The Samsung Lions snapped a two-game losing streak by defeating the Doosan Bears behind a grand slam from infielder Oh Jae-il and a Quality Start-plus performance from Buchanan.
Samsung won 5-1 against Doosan in Jamsil on Sept. 9. With the win, Samsung snapped a two-game losing streak and remained in ninth place in the league with a record of 51 wins, one loss and 67 ties on the season.
In the first game of the doubleheader, Samsung faced Doosan starter Jang Won-jun with a starting batting order of Kim Hyun-joon (center field), Kim Sung-yoon (right field), Goo Ja-uk (designated hitter), Kang Min-ho (catcher), Ryu Ji-hyuk (third base), Pirela (left field), Oh Jae-il (first base), Lee Jae-hyun (shortstop), and Kim Ho-jae (second base).
Samsung infielder Oh Jae-il hits a game-winning two-run home run in the top of the second inning during the first game of a doubleheader against Doosan in Jamsil on Sept. 9.
Samsung infielder Oh Jae-il hits a game-winning two-run home run in the second inning of the first game of a doubleheader against Doosan in Jamsil on Sept. 9.
Samsung infielder Oh Jae-il hits a game-winning two-run home run in the second inning of the first game of a doubleheader against Doosan in Jamsil on Sept. 9. Photo (Jamsil)=Samsung Lions
The two teams traded triple plays in the first inning. It was Samsung who struck first. In the top of the second, Pirela led off with a single up the middle. The next batter, Oh Jae-il, took Jang Won-joon’s 136 km/h two-seam fastball and smashed it over the 130-meter wall in right field for a two-run homer. Oh’s 10th arch of the season. With the home run, Oh reached double-digit home runs for the ninth consecutive season (22nd in KBO history).안전놀이터
Samsung got back-to-back singles from Yang Seok-hwan and Kim Jae-hwan in the bottom of the second to put runners on first and second with no outs. Buchanan got the next batter, Yang, to fly out to right field, but Kang Seung-ho hit a single down the right field line for the first run. Buchanan then struck out Cho Su-hyun and Heo Kyung-min with runners on first and second to prevent further damage.
Samsung tacked on another run in the top of the third when Kim Hyun-jun scored on a wild pitch. Samsung had a brief scoring chance in the top of the third inning when Kim Hyun-jun doubled to center field. The next batter, Kim Sung-yoon, grounded out to first base, putting Kim at third base in a rundown situation. However, Kim sprinted straight for home as catcher Yang Yang-ji threw to third baseman Heo Kyung-min. As Yang received the ball again, he ducked down to avoid the tag and touched home.
The teams remained scoreless until the seventh inning. Samsung overcame runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the fourth inning. In the top of the fifth inning, Samsung failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded opportunity.
Samsung drove in the winning run in the top of the eighth. With one out in the top of the eighth, Samsung had the tying run on base when Oh Jae-il doubled. Lee Jae-hyun followed with an RBI single up the middle and Kim Ho-jae followed with an RBI double to make the score 5-1.
After cruising through the second inning, Buchanan remained on the mound until the eighth inning. Buchanan threw eight innings of 107 pitches, allowing one run on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Samsung brought in right-hander Lee Seung-hyun and closer Oh Seung-hwan in the bottom of the ninth to close out the game. Buchanan moved to 10 wins on the season, his fourth straight year with double-digit wins.
Samsung will look to make it two in a row when they send Choi Ha-Neul to the mound for game two of the doubleheader. Doosan’s starting pitcher for game two of the doubleheader is Brandon Waddell.