Daejeon: Captain Chae Eun-seong played a pivotal role with a go-ahead two-run single, contributing to his three-RBI performance, and young pitcher Moon Dong-ju delivered two dominant innings in relief, as the Hanwha Eagles narrowly defeated the Samsung Lions 9-8 in the opening game of their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason series.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Moon Hyun-bin also added three RBIs for the Eagles, who amassed 15 hits to secure the victory in a closely contested match in front of a sellout crowd of 16,750 at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark. The second game of this best-of-five series is scheduled to take place in Daejeon at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The game, initially expected to be a showdown between aces Cody Ponce of the Eagles and Gerson Garabito of the Lions, turned into a high-scoring affair early on. The Lions took an early lead in the second inning, highlighted by Lee Jae-hyeon’s two-run double, giving them a 3-0 advantage. However, the Eagles responded with a five-run rally in the bottom half of the inning, seizing a 5-3 lead.

The Lions briefly regained control with runs in the third and fourth innings, but the Eagles countered with a three-run surge in the sixth inning to take an 8-6 lead. Chae Eun-seong’s crucial hit in the bottom of the sixth helped the Eagles to maintain their momentum.

Moon Dong-ju shone in his postseason debut, striking out four batters across two innings, including a fastball clocked at 161.6 kilometers per hour, the fastest pitch in the KBO this year. Chae’s single in the eighth inning gave the Eagles a 9-6 cushion, but the Lions fought back with two runs in the ninth, narrowing the gap. Nevertheless, reliever Kim Beom-su secured the victory.

Cody Ponce, despite allowing six runs, was credited with the win, tying the postseason record for most runs allowed by a winning pitcher.

The Eagles will rely on American pitcher Ryan Weiss for Game 2. Weiss, who had a strong regular season with a 16-5 record, faces a challenge against the Lions, who have historically performed well against him. Meanwhile, the Lions will start right-hander Choi Won-tae, who impressed in the previous series but has struggled against the Eagles this season.

The Eagles look to extend their lead in the series as they prepare for the next clash in this thrilling KBO postseason battle.