Gwangju: Go Seung-min drove in two runs and enjoyed his first four-hit game of the year, as the Lotte Giants squeezed past the Kia Tigers 4-3 to snap their five-game losing skid in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Thursday. With the narrow road victory at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, the Giants improved to 63-64-6 (wins-losses-ties), just one game back of the Samsung Lions for the fifth and final postseason spot with 11 games remaining. The Tigers, at 59-65-4, are in eighth place, 3 1/2 games out of fifth with 16 games to go.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Go went 4-for-5 at the plate and also completed a triple play while playing second base for the first time since July 23. The Giants built a 1-0 lead in the top first, as Hwang Seong-bin led off with a triple and scored on a follow-up double by Go. The Tigers attempted to retaliate in the bottom first, getting a double and a walk against starter Na Gyun-an, but No. 3 hitter Kim Sun-bin grounded into a triple play. He hit a slow roller to third baseman Son Ho-young, who stepped on the bag before throwing to Go, who then threw out Kim at first to complete only the second triple play of this season.
The game took a turn for the worse for the Tigers, as starting pitcher Kim Do-hyeon was removed from the game after just one inning due to discomfort in his right elbow. The Giants extended their lead to 3-0 in the top third against rookie reliever Kim Tae-hyeong, as Yoon Dong-hee and Son Ho-young delivered back-to-back two-out RBI singles.
However, Giants starter Na Gyun-an couldn't make that lead stand. After allowing a single and hitting a batter, Na surrendered a game-tying three-run homer to cleanup Choi Hyoung-woo, who became the 12th player this season to hit a home run against every opponent. The Giants took the lead for good in the sixth, as Go picked up his second RBI of the night with a two-out single.
Giants starter Na Gyun-an lasted only four innings in his first outing since Aug. 31, when he was struck in the shoulder by a line drive. The bullpen picked up the slack, holding the Tigers to one hit over the final five innings. Choi Jun-yong struck out three of the five batters he faced and closer Kim Won-jung earned a four-out save.