Daejeon: Lions beat Eagles to even KBO postseason series as starter Choi Won-tae fired seven innings of one-run ball, leading the Samsung Lions to a 7-3 victory over the Hanwha Eagles on Sunday. This win equalizes their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason series at one game each.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Lions erupted with seven unanswered runs after Choi allowed a first-inning home run to Luis Liberato. The sellout crowd of 16,750 at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark witnessed the Lions’ impressive comeback. The best-of-five series will now proceed to Daegu Samsung Lions Park for Games 3 and 4, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

The Eagles initially took the lead with Liberato’s solo home run off Choi Won-tae in the first inning. Eagles’ ace Ryan Weiss struck out two in the top half of the frame, but the Lions retaliated in the third inning with a four-run surge. A walk and two singles loaded the bases for the Lions, followed by Koo Ja-wook’s fielder’s choice groundout that tied the game. Lewin Diaz then doubled to put the Lions ahead, with Kim Young-woong adding a two-run single to extend the lead to 4-1.

The Lions further increased their lead to 5-1 in the fourth inning, courtesy of another double by Diaz. Ryan Weiss, who struggled against the Lions in the regular season with a 4.05 ERA, faced similar challenges in this postseason game, conceding five runs on nine hits over four innings.

Choi Won-tae, after conceding the initial home run, allowed only three more hits over six innings, effectively utilizing his fastball-changeup mix to induce weak contact. Catcher Kang Min-ho contributed offensively with a two-run home run in the ninth inning, finalizing the Lions’ scoring.

The Eagles managed two runs in the bottom of the ninth, including a solo home run by Roh Si-hwan, but fell short of a comeback. Lions manager Park Jin-man credited Choi’s performance as pivotal to securing the road split and expressed optimism for the upcoming home games.

Park noted, “I think the home run in the first inning was a wake-up call for him. He completely shut down Hanwha after that.” The manager praised Choi and Kang Min-ho for their effective postseason collaboration.

For Game 3, the Lions will rely on right-hander Ariel Jurado, who previously pitched seven shutout innings against the SSG Landers. Meanwhile, Eagles manager Kim Kyung-moon hopes to quickly move past the loss, acknowledging Weiss’ unexpected third-inning struggles as a setback for the team.

Kim remarked on the unpredictable nature of baseball, especially after both Weiss and Cody Ponce, the Eagles’ top starters, had uncharacteristically poor performances. He remains hopeful for improved outings in the future, with former National League All-Star Ryu Hyun-jin set to start Game 3 for the Eagles.