Gwangju: The Kia Tigers scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to secure a 5-4 victory over the Doosan Bears at home, keeping their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason hopes alive.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim Sun-bin delivered his first career walk-off hit after Park Chan-ho’s bloop single tied the score at 4-4 at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 270 kilometers south of Seoul. The win moved the Tigers to a 60-65-4 record, leaving them three games away from the fifth and final postseason spot with 15 games remaining.

The Bears, on the other hand, suffered their third consecutive loss and are now at 56-68-6, maintaining their position in ninth place. The Bears began the game strong, scoring twice in the first inning. An Jae-seok hit his first career leadoff home run off starter Adam Oller, followed by Jake Cave scoring on a grounder by Yang Eui-ji.

The Bears extended their lead in the second inning with Hong Seong-ho’s first career home run, a solo shot that put them up 3-0. The Tigers responded with two runs in the bottom of the third. A wild pitch by Bears starter Zach Logue allowed the Tigers’ first run, followed by Kim Sun-bin’s infield single that reduced the Bears’ lead to 3-2.

Hong Seong-ho struck again for the Bears in the fourth inning with his second consecutive solo home run, increasing their advantage to 4-2. This game marked the first time this season that Oller gave up more than one home run, having allowed only four in 125 innings prior.

Han Jun-su’s pinch-hit solo homer off reliever Park Chi-guk in the seventh inning brought the Tigers within one run. The Tigers then staged a dramatic rally in the ninth inning. Pinch hitter Choi Hyoung-woo’s single and Yoon Do-hyun’s walk set the stage for Park Chan-ho’s game-tying flyball.

Facing new pitcher Lee Young-ha, Kim Sun-bin fell behind 0-2 in the count before driving a single up the middle, completing the Tigers’ comeback and securing their thrilling victory.