Daejeon: The Hanwha Eagles mounted a comeback in the seventh inning to secure a 4-1 victory over the LG Twins at home on Friday, keeping their hopes alive for clinching first place in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) as the regular season approaches its conclusion.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Eagles' victory in the opening game of this critical three-game series at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, located 140 kilometers south of Seoul, improved their record to 81-55-3. This win brought them within 2 1/2 games of the league-leading Twins, who now stand at 84-53-3. With five games left for the Eagles and four for the Twins, the competition remains intense.
The Twins' magic number to secure the best record in the league remains at three. This means that a combination of their own wins and Eagles' losses totaling three will guarantee the Twins the top spot in the regular season and a bye to the Korean Series. As the two teams face each other this weekend, winning the next two games in Daejeon would ensure the Twins clinch the pennant.
Twins slugger Austin Dean interrupted a series of scoreless innings with a solo home run off Eagles' starter Ryu Hyun-jin in the top of the sixth inning. This marked Dean's 30th home run of the season, making him the first player in Twins history to achieve 30 homers in consecutive seasons.
The Eagles, who had not scored in their previous 15 innings before Friday's game, managed to seize control with a four-run burst in the bottom of the seventh inning. The tying run came as a result of a defensive error by the Twins. With runners on second and third, Ha Ju-suk's bunt back to pitcher Kim Young-woo led to a rundown, where the lead runner, Roh Si-hwan, was initially called out. However, the out call was overturned after a video replay, allowing the Eagles to equalize.
With the game tied, Lee Do-yun delivered a pinch-hit, two-run single, putting the Eagles ahead for good. Two batters later, Sim Woo-jun's bunt single added another run. Closer Kim Seo-hyeon then sealed the victory with a perfect ninth inning, earning his 33rd save of the season.