No. 8 Hanwha swept No. 2 KT to end four-game losing streak
The eighth-ranked Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) bounced back from a doubleheader sweep the day before to take down second-place KT Wiz.
Hanwha won 6-2 at home against the KT Wiz in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park on April 18.
Hanwha snapped a four-game losing streak, while KT dropped to within one game of third-place NC Dinos, who did not play on the day.
The two teams, who were forced to play a doubleheader after a three-hour rain delay the day before, showed mixed results.
Hanwha’s players were focused, while KT’s were tired.
Hanwha gave up a run in the top of the second inning off starter Lee Tae-yang, but quickly turned the game around in the bottom of the inning.
After consecutive errors by second baseman Lee Ho-yeon and third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun and a walk loaded the bases, Hanwha tied the game at 1-1 on Choi Jae-hoon’s grounder to shortstop.
With runners on first and third, Choi In-ho drove in another run with a groundout.
In the bottom of the inning, Williams hit a two-run shot to left field off KT starter Kim Min.
On a one-pitch, one-strike count, he took advantage of a three-pitch fastball.
However, Williams felt pain in his right hamstring after the home run and was replaced by Kwon Kwang-min in the next at-bat.
Hanwha added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-1 lead. Choi Jae-hoon and Choi In-ho exploded for back-to-back singles, followed by Lee Do-yoon’s sacrifice bunt and Lee Jin-young’s two-run double to left field to make it 6-1.
Hanwha gave up a run in the fifth off the hard-throwing Lee Tae-yang, but relievers Joo Hyun-sang, Lee Min-woo, Jang Si-hwan and Park Sang-won closed out the game.
Choi Jae-hoon went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, while Lee Tae-yang earned his third win of the season with five innings of three-hit ball, two walks, three strikeouts and two runs. 안전놀이터