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Samsung Lions lengthen win streak to 7 games with victory over LG Twins

Published: 02 Jun. 2025, 12:43 Updated: 02 Jun. 2025, 20:34

The Samsung Lions celebrate winning a KBO game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on June 1. [YONHAP]

The Samsung Lions extended their winning streak to seven games with a 6-4 win over the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on Sunday.

The Lions completed a three-game sweep of the Twins over the weekend, marking their first seven-game winning streak since June 2015 and jumping to fourth in the KBO standings.

The Twins, meanwhile, suffered a sweep for the first time this season in a three-game series.

Although they remained at the top of the table, their lead over the second-place Hanwha Eagles shrank from 3.5 games to 1.5 games.

Sunday's game remained neck-and-neck throughout, with both teams trading runs.

The Lions trailed 4-3 in the top of the eighth inning with two outs when Yang Do-geun reached base with a single.

Pinch hitter Kim Tae-hoon then launched a two-run homer over the right field wall on a changeup from reliever Park Myung-geun, turning the game around.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Lions brought in pitcher Kim Tae-hoon — who shares the same name as the pinch hitter — to face the heart of the Twins’ lineup. He struck out Kim Hyun-soo, Austin Dean and Moon Bo-gyeong in order.

The Lions added another run in the ninth with a double to left-center from Koo Ja-wook, sealing the two-run win.

Samsung Lions outfielder Koo Ja-wook celebrates during a KBO game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on June 1. [YONHAP]

The home run marked Kim Tae-hoon’s first since joining the Lions in 2023. He previously recorded single home runs in 2015 and 2021 while playing for the KT Wiz.

The Twins had started the weekend series with their top three starters — Elieser Hernandez, Yonny Chirinos and Lim Chan-gyu — but failed to secure a single win.

Over in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, the NC Dinos thrashed the Hanwha Eagles 16-5 for their first home win of the season at Changwon NC Park.

The Dinos had been playing their home games in Busan and Ulsan after a fatal accident at the venue in March during a game against the Twins. They returned to their home field for the weekend series.

Trailing 3-2 in the sixth, pinch hitter Oh Young-soo hit a grand slam off the Eagles’ second pitcher Joo Hyun-sang to give the Dinos the lead.

Han Suk-hyun hit a two-run homer in the second and added an inside-the-park home run in the seventh — the 100th in KBO history — finishing with two home runs on the day.

At Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul, the Kiwoom Heroes beat the Doosan Bears 1-0 for the second consecutive day, winning the weekend series.

New foreign pitcher Raul Alcantara, formerly with the Bears, threw six scoreless innings in his return to the KBO and helped end the Heroes’ 35-day stretch without consecutive wins.

Alcantara joined the Heroes this season after leaving the Bears last year due to an elbow injury.

With the win, the Heroes narrowed the gap with the Bears to 9.5 games.

Over in Suwon, the Kia Tigers beat the Wiz 5-3 to snap a two-game losing streak.

Starter Thomas Pannone pitched six innings, allowing six hits and three runs while striking out five to claim his sixth win of the season.

Wiz assistant coach Park Kyung-su, who held his retirement ceremony on Sunday, appeared as a second baseman in the ninth inning to mark the end of his playing career.

The SSG Landers, meanwhile, won 4-3 against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SONG JI-HOON [[email protected]]