Doosan Bears’ “genius shortstop” Kim Jae-ho showed his veteran strength to lead his team to a dramatic come-from-behind victory.
Sixth-ranked Doosan won 8-7 against the eighth-ranked Samsung Lions in the 11th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Monday. The fifth-place KIA Tigers, who were swept by the leading LG Twins, closed the gap to two games and set themselves up for a top-five finish.
The star of Doosan’s victory was Kim Jae-ho, who started at second base and shortstop. Kim exploded off the Samsung mound, going 2-for-5 with a double, home run, three RBIs, and one run scored.
Kim got his big break in the bottom of the fifth inning when Doosan tied the game at 2-2. He launched a two-run homer off Samsung starter Kim Dae-woo, who was struggling, to make the score 4-2.
In a one-ball, one-strike at-bat, he took Kim’s three-pitch 121-kilometer curveball with a perfect swing and sent it over the left field fence for a 116-meter shot. It was the second time in two weeks that he activated his home run gun after hitting his second home run of the season against the Kiwoom Heroes on March 24.
Kim Jae-ho’s performance continued. With Doosan trailing 6-8 in the bottom of the eighth inning, he hit a crisp two-run double with runners on first and second to close the gap to 6-7 with a multi-hit game.
Down 7-8 in the bottom of the ninth, Doosan scored the game-winning run on Kang Seung-ho’s dramatic RBI single with runners on first and second and Park Kye-beom’s infield single with runners on first and second and a throwing error by Samsung third baseman Ryu Ji-hyuk to secure the thrilling 8-7 victory. Kim Jae-ho’s two-run homer and RBI double set the stage for the dramatic win.
Kim Jae-ho also dominated the game on defense. In the top of the seventh inning with Doosan trailing 5-6, he caught Lee Jae-hyun’s tricky infield grounder and made a quick throw home to prevent Kang Kang-ul from scoring from third base. It was an invaluable catch that halted Samsung’s offensive flow and gave Doosan room to fight back.
With the win over Samsung, Doosan can now prepare for the doubleheader on Monday with a lighter heart. Doosan also gained momentum in the race for the top five by catching up to fifth-place KIA.
After the game, Kim Jae-ho said, “It was a really tough game, but I’m glad we won. “In the home run situation at the end of the fifth inning, I had two fastballs in front of me, so I was confident that a changeup was coming, but I think the timing was right,” he said.
“In the top of the seventh inning, the defense had a lot of balls in play. I threw it hard to make them think I was throwing fast, but the catcher, Jang Seung-hyun, handled it well,” he explained.
He also thanked the home fans. “We won because a lot of fans came and supported us until the end. We will focus on the doubleheader on the 10th and bring home a win,” he promised.먹튀검증
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop praised his team’s most senior player, saying, “Kim Jae-ho has been hitting every chance he gets.”