Heroes fall to consecutive sweeps at home as Lions trail at third

Baseball

Published: 29 Apr. 2024, 14:45 Updated: 29 Apr. 2024, 17:44

Heroes fall to consecutive sweeps at home as Lions trail at third

Kiwoom Heroes starter Kim In-beom looks disappointed at the top of the fifth inning in a game against the Samsung Lions at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on Friday, with two outs and runners on first and third base. [YONHAP]

The Kiwoom Heroes fell to consecutive sweeps by the Kia Tigers and the Samsung Lions, failing to pick up a single game from a week at home to slide four spots down on the 10-team KBO table while the Tigers held their spot at the top and the Lions clawed their way to third.

The Tigers visited Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul first, sweeping the Heroes 5-2, 6-4, 13-2, before the Lions made it two, defeating the Seoul club 3-0, 11-0, 11-6. It was the Daegu club’s first time sweeping the Heroes at Gocheok since May 2014, according to the KBO.

The Heroes have had an up-and-down month, starting the season in last place and then riding a seven-game winning streak up to third before falling to seventh place after seven consecutive losses — taking six of those at home last week.

Lions closer Oh Seung-hwan also made a bit of individual history, setting a new record for the most saves by any player in any league in Asia.

The 41-year-old veteran pitcher on Friday recorded his 408th KBO career save over 14 seasons in Korea, all of which he’s played for the Lions, surpassing the previous record of 407 saves held by Hitoki Iwase in Japan’s NPB.

Samsung Lions' Oh Seung-hwan pitches in the bottom of the ninth inning during a game against the Kiwoom Heroes on April 26 at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul. [YONHAP]

Oh also played in the NPB, for the Hanshin Tigers, before moving to the MLB, pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Colorado Rockies and in Japan’s NPB before returning to the KBO in 2020.

Teammates congratulate Samsung Lions closer Oh Seung-hwan after their 3-0 win over the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on April 26, when he set a new record for the most saves by any player in any league in Asia. [NEWS1]

The Lions, who last won the league in 2015 and saw their last Korean Series title in 2014, now sit in third with 18 wins, 12 losses and one draw following their best week of the season — picking up five wins and one loss after going 7-3, 6-0, 2-8 against the LG Twins at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu and then sweeping the Heroes.

The Tigers, who lead the KBO with 21 wins, nine losses and zero draws, traveled from western Seoul to the east, meeting the Twins at Jamsil Stadium in eastern Seoul over the weekend and staved off a sweep by the Twins: 7-6, 6-3, 7-10.

Second-place NC Dinos trail the Tigers with 19 wins and 11 losses, picking up two wins and a loss against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil to start the week before sweeping the Lotte Giants at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan: 4-0, 2-0, 5-3.

The Giants, who now sit at the bottom of the table with eight wins, 20 losses and one draw, earlier in the week picked up a 12-7 loss and a 6-3 win against the SSG Landers, also at home, after the first game was postponed due to rain.

The Giants are the only club with a single-digit number of wins in the 2024 season, which began on March 23.

The Hanwha Eagles made it out of last place despite suffering three consecutive losses — 9-6, 7-1, 9-0 — to the KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi, picking up one win and two losses against the Bears — 10-5, 5-10, 17-8 — at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon over the weekend.

Much of this week’s KBO action begins in the south, with the Heroes set to meet the Giants in Busan, the Tigers hosting the Wiz in Gwangju and the Twins visiting the Dinos in Changwon, South Gyeongsang. A bit further north, the Landers will visit the Eagles in Daejeon while the Lions and Bears play at Jamsil in southern Seoul.

Over the weekend, it’ll be a Jamsil derby between the Bears and the Twins, Hanwha will visit the Tigers in Gwangju, the Heroes will hop down to Suwon to meet the Wiz, the Giants will travel up to Daegu to play the Lions and the Dinos will visit the Landers in Incheon.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]