“Big Pitcher” Yang Hyun-jong sets a new record of 2053K, KIA makes a big comeback and gets rid of “Giant Fear” (Yesterday’s Professional Baseball) | Dong-A Ilbo

On the day when “big pitcher” Yang Hyun-jong set the record for the most strikeouts in Korean professional baseball, Kia also shook off its “giant phobia” with a thrilling comeback victory.
Kia won the home game against Lotte at Kia Champion Stadium in Gwangju on the 21st with a score of 6-5 after repeated comebacks. Kia, who was in the lead, continued its five-game winning streak and extended its lead over the second-place Samsung team, which lost to Doosan on the same day, to six games.

Kia maintained its lead this season under the leadership of new head coach Lee Beom-ho, but performed poorly in the match against Lotte. As of the day before, the record against Lotte was 3 wins, 7 losses and 1 tie. The only tie was a game in which they were leading 14-1, but the game was allowed to come back and barely ended in a tie. In the match against Lotte on the 20th, they were leading 3-1, but heavy rain suddenly fell in the top of the 4th inning, and unfortunately the game was declared invalid.

The process of winning that day was full of twists and turns. Yang Hyun-jong, who was the starting pitcher, held Lotte’s batting line to one run until the fourth inning. Before today’s game, Yang Hyun-jong, who was only two runs away from Song Jin-woo’s (retired) career strikeout record (2,048 times), struck out the opponent’s second batter, Yoon Dong-hee, with a wrong hit in the top of the third inning. This is his 2,049th career strikeout. This is a new record, surpassing the career strikeout record (2,048) held by Song Jin-woo (retired). Yang Hyun-jong added 7 strikeouts that day and became the No. 1 “Dr. K” in Korean professional baseball with 2,053 strikeouts.

However, Yang Hyun-jong suddenly made a mistake in the top of the fifth inning when they were leading 3-0, and the game became unpredictable. Yang Hyun-jong allowed Noh Jin-hyuk to hit a home run, and then Son Ho-young hit a three-run home run in his comeback. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Kim Sun-bin hit the ball in time, and Kia tied the score at 4-4. Yang Hyun-jong, who had 7 hits, 1 base hit, and 4 runs in 5 innings, gave the mound to Kwak Do-gyu when the score was tied at 4-4 in the top of the sixth inning. However, Kia was on the verge of failure again when Kwak Do-gyu immediately allowed Lotte’s Jeon Jun-woo to single.

Just like the day before, it seemed that God didn’t help this day. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Kia got a chance to get on base with no outs. Choi Won-jun got on base due to the second baseman’s error, and Kim Do-young got on base with a single to left. However, the game was suddenly interrupted by heavy rain. If the game ended like this, it would have been a cold game because of the rain.
Fortunately, the rain stopped and the game resumed, and Kia tied the score at 5-5 again with Luo Chengfan’s sacrifice fly.

The game finally turned around in the 8th inning. The first batter Lee Woo-sung’s long hit along the right field line was blocked by Lotte right fielder Yoon Dong-hee’s diving catch, but with two outs, Byeon Woo-hyuk hit a double to left center to keep the spark going. When Lotte pitcher Kim Sang-soo threw a wild pitch, pinch runner Kim Kyu-sung stepped onto third base. With two outs and three bases, the next batter Park Chan-ho hit a ground ball in front of the third baseman, but the advancing Lotte third baseman Son Ho-young missed the ball, allowing the third base runner Kim Kyu-sung to come back and score the sixth point.
Zheng Haiying, who came on base in the 9th inning, pitched an inning without conceding a point when leading by one point, completing a thrilling comeback victory with a one-point advantage.

NC finally broke out of an 11-game losing streak by winning 8-2 against Hanwha in Cheongju.
Starting pitcher Lee Yong-jun won his first victory of the season with five scoreless innings, while national team catcher Kim Hyung-jun played a key role in the victory with three consecutive home runs. Kim Hyung-jun, who had a 100% batting average the day before, hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to take a 2-0 lead, hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning, and then hit another single in the eighth inning. This was his first home run of the season and his 57th home run in three consecutive at-bats.

Doosan beat Samsung 5-2 in an away game against Pohang. Doosan was trailing 0-2 at the start, but Jared Young, a new foreign batter, hit a solo home run in the 4th inning, and Lee Yoo tied the score in the 5th inning with two outs and on base. -chan hit a timely 2 RBI, slightly over the second baseman’s head, turning the game around. Jared hit it in time and scored another point. In the 6th inning, Kim Jae-hwan hit a crucial solo shot.
Doosan closer Kim Taek-yeon appeared on the mound in the 9th inning with a 5-2 lead and made his 16th save without scoring, tying the record for most saves by a high school graduate rookie set by Ra Seung. In 2006, Hyun (formerly Lotte). At 19 years, 2 months and 18 days old, Kim Taek-yeon also set the record for the youngest save against his former team.

In Jamsil, SSG beat LG 5-1 to break a four-game losing streak, and in Suwon, KT defeated Kiwoom 5-0.

Reporter Lee Heon-jae uni@donga.com