While Kia’s triple-setter was missing, Doosan’s unique footwork lit up the field.
Doosan swept the Gwangju Doosan on the 15th and then the Gwangju Doosan on the 17th to extend Pajuk’s winning streak to six games. KIA has upgraded its batting lineup since the middle of the season with a combination of mobility, clutch ability, and long balls, and has won nine in a row recently, but Park Chan-ho’s injury has taken a toll. Choi Won-jun has also been struggling with his bat, and there have been many days when he hasn’t been at full strength.
Choi Won-jun got the momentum going with three hits, including a double, in the second spot in the batting order, but was held to a 0-for-5 performance by Kim Do-young, who batted leadoff. Park Chan-ho hasn’t started since the 12th against Daegu Samsung Electronics. After a nine-game winning streak, the team’s batting cycle naturally descended as they slumped to 3-6, including four straight losses.
In the meantime, Doosan presented a bunt and bunt show. It was a traditional Doosan game, with the colors of old. No. 9 Cho Su-hyun (30) and No. 1 Jeong Soo-bin (33) virtually stunned the KIA infield with their game-changing bunts.
It was the top of the third inning with the score tied 1-1. With the bases loaded, Cho laid down an exquisite bunt toward third base on a cutter from KIA starting pitcher Thomas Pannoni. KIA third baseman Byun Woo-hyuk spotted it, darted forward and made a good catch, but Cho So-hae made a head-first sliding catch at first base for the save.
Byun Woo-hyuk reacted well. However, he had a lapse in concentration in the second inning when he failed to catch Kim Jae-ho’s pitch and let it go into the outfield. Yang Seok-hwan then scored the winning run. Cho’s bunt single shook up the KIA infield and the game.
Doosan’s bunt show continued in the fifth inning with a 3-1 lead. Park Jun-young continued the good momentum with a solo home run, and Cho Su-dong followed with a single. Jung Soo-bin then laid down an exquisite bunt down the first base line. Panoni and catcher Han Jun-soo simultaneously darted for the ball, which Panoni would have caught, but Han Jun-soo caught the ball and was unable to throw to first base. In the situation, Han Jun-soo shouted the call, but Jung Soo-bin laughed.안전놀이터
With runners on first and second, Kim Jae-ho’s sacrifice bunt and Yang Suk-hwan’s RBI double gave Doosan a 5-1 lead. KIA then got a two-run single from Na Sung-bum, but it was the two bunts that kept the game in Doosan’s favor.
In the sixth inning, shortstop Kim Do-young made a throwing error on Park Joon-young’s hit, and in the seventh inning, Kim Dae-yoo made an easy catch on Jeong Soo-bin’s hit, but was stranded at first base. Doosan ace Raul Alcantara kept the bats from connecting, but three errors made it difficult to win.
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop said, “The bats played evenly and showed a cohesive performance. I can feel that the whole team is working together. Every game is important, and we will do our best to show our fans how good we are right now.”