The professional baseball SSG Landers captured a midweek three-game winning series, thanks to Kim Gun-woo's (23) outstanding performance.
SSG won 5-2 against the Lotte Giants in the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League' game held on the 27th at Incheon SSG Landers Field. Although they lost the first game, they surged ahead with two consecutive victories to secure the series win.
The SSG lineup pounded out 9 hits, applying pressure on the Lotte mound. Choi Ji-hoon contributed with 2 hits, 1 run batted in, 1 run scored, and 1 walk in 4 at-bats, leading the team's victory. Eredia and Han Yoo-seom also contributed multi-hit performances.
Starting pitcher Park Jong-hoon struggled, pitching 3⅔ innings with 1 hit allowed, 4 walks, 2 hit by pitches, 3 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs. However, Kim Gun-woo, who followed, pitched 4⅓ innings with 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, 7 strikeouts, and did not allow any runs, laying the foundation for victory. Kim Gun-woo became the winning pitcher for the first time in his debut. In the 9th inning, closer Jo Byeong-hyun held the opponent scoreless for 1 inning, earning his 2nd save of the season.
After giving up 2 runs first to Lotte, SSG saw lead-off hitter Choi Ji-hoon reach base with a hit in the bottom of the 4th. Jeong Jun-jae hit a ground ball to the second baseman, leading to the first out, but Park Seong-han drew a walk to create a consolidation opportunity on 1st and 2nd base. Eredia and Han Yoo-seom then delivered consecutive run-scoring hits, bringing the game back to even.
After a quiet period, SSG finally ended their long stretch of zeros in the 7th. Lead-off hitter Jo Hyung-woo got on base with a hit, and Choi Ji-hoon turned the game around with a 1-run triple. Following that, Jeong Jun-jae hit an infield single, Park Seong-han had a run-scoring hit, and Eredia had a run-scoring infield hit, sealing the victory.
After the game, manager Lee Seung-yong noted, "Congratulations to (Kim) Gun-woo on his personal career first win. It was a performance that rewarded our trust. Although he was a bit shaky in the early part, it was perfect pitching with 7 strikeouts and no hits allowed," celebrating Kim Gun-woo's first victory in his debut.
Manager Lee Seung-yong said, "In the batting lineup, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th hitters accumulated 5 hits and 4 runs batted in." He added, "Han Yoo-seom's multi-hit performance was a highlight of today's game. Choi Ji-hoon also showed good performance as the lead-off, hitting the decisive run." He continued, "As the team faces tough situations, the unity among the players is increasingly felt. I believe that this power as one team helped us win this series. Lastly, I would like to thank the fans for their passionate support even in the rain."
After securing a 2-1 winning series against Lotte in the home three-game series, SSG will move to the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 28th to face the Kiwoom Heroes in a three-game away series. The starting pitcher for SSG will be Drew Anderson, while Kiwoom will have Kenny Rosenberg as their starting pitcher.
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