Lions, Eagles, Giants battle for KBO's 2nd place as Twins maintain early season lead

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Lions, Eagles, Giants battle for KBO's 2nd place as Twins maintain early season lead

Published: 28 Apr. 2025, 13:22 Updated: 28 Apr. 2025, 20:55

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Samsung Lions first baseman Lewin Diaz celebrates during a KBO game against the the NC Dinos at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on April 27. [SAMSUNG LIONS]

The days of the perennial last-place Hanwha Eagles appear to be over in this KBO season, with the Daejeon club currently challenging the Samsung Lions for second place as the Lotte Giants breathe down their necks.

The Lions seized the advantage first, extending their winning streak to five games on Sunday with an 8-4 victory over the NC Dinos at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu.

Sunday's win moves the Lions to within three games of league leaders LG Twins, who lost to the Kia Tigers the same day. The Lions appear poised to make a serious push after finishing as Korean Series runners-up last season.

The Lions wasted no time taking control. In the first inning, outfielder Koo Ja-wook and first baseman Lewin Díaz hit back-to-back home runs to establish an early lead.

With one out and a runner on first, Koo launched a two-run homer 130 meters (426 feet) over the right-field wall. Díaz followed with a solo shot in the same direction.

The two home runs marked the first back-to-back homers for the Lions this season, but Díaz was not done, adding another solo home run in the fifth inning, his 11th of the season.

After hitting three home runs in a single game against the Dinos on Friday, Díaz continued his power surge, reclaiming sole possession of the league lead in home runs from James Wisdom of the Kia Tigers and Roh Si-hwan of the Hanwha Eagles, each of whom had nine before Sunday's schedule.

The Eagles are also gaining momentum. They beat the KT Wiz 4-3 in Daejeon, moving up to third place, just half a game behind the Lions.

The Eagles have posted an impressive 8-2 record over their last 10 games, propelled by their dominant starting rotation.

Led by Cody Ponce, Ryan Weiss, Ryu Hyun-jin, Eom Sang-baek and Moon Dong-ju, the Eagles' starters have showcased top-level form.

Hanwha Eagles pitcher Cody Ponce smiles during a KBO game against the KT Wiz at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on April 27. [HANWHA EAGLES]

From April 13 against the Kiwoom Heroes to Wednesday against the Giants, they won eight straight games, setting a team record for consecutive games with starting pitcher wins.

Although they dropped games on Thursday and Friday, Moon delivered a standout performance on April 26, pitching 7⅔ innings with eight strikeouts and one earned run to earn the win.

Ponce continued the strong showing on Sunday. He threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out five, despite issuing four walks — his highest of the season.

Relying on a fastball that touched 156 kilometers per hour (97 miles per hour), Ponce secured his fifth win without a loss, tying the Giants’ Park Se-woong for the league lead in wins.

The Giants, however, stumbled, losing 13-4 to the Doosan Bears in southern Seoul and failing to win their fourth consecutive game.

After briefly rising to a share of second place with a win over the Bears on Saturday, the Giants slipped back to fourth with Sunday’s loss.

The Giants remain firmly in the hunt, sitting just one game behind the No. 2 Lions and half a game behind the No. 3 Eagles. With the standings so tight, the second to fourth places could shift daily.

The Giants' roster remains strong. Park shares the league lead in wins, Jung Cheol-won leads in holds with nine and Kim Won-joong sits atop the saves leaderboard with eight.

Infielder Jeon Min-jae, acquired via trade, has become a breakout star by contending for the league batting title. The so-called "Yoon-Na-Go-Hwang" group — Yoon Dong-hee, Na Seung-yeop, Go Seung-min and Hwang Sung-bin — struggled early in the season but have regained their hitting form.

The Tigers, meanwhile, grabbed a 3-2 home win over the Twins in Gwangju, taking the weekend series. They now trail the fifth-place Wiz by just one game.

Kia Tigers infielder Kim Do-yeong bats in the bottom of the fifth inning during a KBO game against the LG Twins at the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on April 27. [YONHAP]

The Tigers received a boost with the return of star infielder Kim Do-yeong, who shook off an injury to rejoin the lineup.

Although Kim went hitless in four at-bats on Sunday, he provided a major lift in previous games, hitting a two-run, game-tying single as a pinch hitter on Friday and belting his first home run of the season on Saturday.

With Kim quiet on Sunday, veteran slugger Choi Hyung-woo stepped up, blasting his fourth home run of the season to lead the offense.

The victory marked the 100th career managerial win for Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho, achieved in his 172nd game — the 59th-fastest mark in KBO history.

Elsewhere, Kiwoom Heroes' veteran Oh Sun-jin hit his first career grand slam off Kim Kwang-hyun of the SSG Landers in Incheon, leading the Heroes to a 7-3 victory.

The Bears' rookie Oh Myung-jin also made headlines, hitting his first professional home run in the rout of the Giants.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY BAE YOUNG-EUN [[email protected]]