Doosan Bears trounce Kia Tigers 30-6 for KBO record score

Baseball

Doosan Bears trounce Kia Tigers 30-6 for KBO record score

Published: 31 Jul. 2024, 23:01

JIM BULLEY
jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr

Heo Kyoung-min, right, of the Doosan Bears celebrates with Jared Young during a KBO game between the Bears and Kia Tigers at Kia-Gwangju Champions Field in Gwangju on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The Doosan Bears became the first team in KBO history to bat in 30 runs in a single game on Wednesday, beating the Kia Tigers 30-6 on the road at Kia-Gwangju Champions Field in Gwangju.

Doosan got off to a fast start, batting in a run at the top of the first but then going down 2-1 at the bottom of the second.

That was the only time Kia would have the lead. Doosan batted in seven in the third to go 8-2 up, adding another in the fourth, five in the fifth and a huge 11 in the sixth to make it 25-3, with five more in the seventh pushing the score to 30.

Doosan broke the KBO record in the middle of the seventh inning, breaking the LG Twins’ 27-run record against the Samsung Lions set in 1997, and ultimately pushing that to 30.

Kia fought back with three more runs at the bottom of the eighth to go 30-6 down, with a scoreless ninth rounding off the game. The 24-run loss is the biggest in KBO history.

Doosan’s Jared Young batted in eight runs on five hits, tying the KBO record for the most RBIs by a foreign player in the KBO in only his second week playing in the league. Kang Seung-ho recorded four hits for six RBIs, with Kim Ki-yeon batting in four on five hits. Heo Kyoung-min, Kim Jae-hwan and Jo Soo-haeng got three RBIs apiece.

There were five home runs in the game, four for Doosan — two from Young and one each from Kim Jae-hwan and Kang — and one from Kia’s Kim Do-young.

By the ninth inning, with the score already well and truly decided, the coaching staff on both sides resorted to some unconventional picks.

The Tigers closed out on the mound with outfielder Park Jung-woo, who pitched the final inning while the Gwangju club opted to rest the pitchers’ arms in what was already an untenable situation. At the plate he faced Doosan pitcher Kwon Hwi, who the Bears opted to keep in the game to close out the bottom of the inning.

Despite the historic loss, the Tigers remain in first place in the KBO with the Bears trailing in fifth place.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]