The hit count was 10-12, not a huge difference, but it was the walks that would eventually make the difference. SSG Landers, the defending champions and the team with the most strikeouts, once again confirmed their status on the mound.
SSG fell 4-12 in the 12th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against the KIA Tigers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on April 2. With the loss, SSG’s record falls to 60 wins, 1 draw and 50 losses (0.545).
Moon Seung-won, who took the mound, suffered his fifth loss of the season after giving up four runs on six hits (one home run) in 5⅔ innings with two walks and two strikeouts. It was his first five-inning outing in nearly four months since April 25 against the LG Twins in Jamsil (five innings), but he was unable to avoid a loss.
In the end, walks were the problem. Moon Seung-won got off to a good start in the top of the first inning by getting the first batter, Park Chan-ho, to ground out, but then gave up back-to-back singles to Kim Do-young and Na Sung-beom. With the bases loaded, he gave up a run on Choi Hyung-woo’s RBI double and Socrates Brito’s sacrifice fly.
Moon Seung-won was unable to prevent another run in the top of the second. He fought a seven-pitch battle with leadoff hitter Hwang Dae-in, but gave up a wild pitch. The next batter, Han Jun-soo, hit a two-run homer to center field.
After that, Moon Seung-won went five innings with minimal runs, but the bullpen was also hampered by the walks. Ko Hyo-joon, who came on with runners on second and third in the top of the sixth, gave up three runs on two hits and two walks in one inning, while the third pitcher, Lee Gun-wook, also struggled with one run on one hit and two walks with one strikeout.
After Jung Sung-gon was pulled after just ⅓ of an inning, Kim Joo-han and Seo Dong-min came in and gave up three runs on two hits (one home run) and one walk in one inning with one strikeout. With the exception of Jung Sung-gon, who quickly turned the mound over to the next pitcher, the other five pitchers recorded at least one walk.
In comparison, KIA had every pitcher from starter Yoon Young-chul to Im Ki-young, Lee Jun-young, Jang Hyun-sik, and Kim Dae-yu pitch a scoreless inning. Despite allowing a few home runs, including a two-run shot by Lee Heung-ryun, the team’s efforts to reduce the number of walks led to the victory.먹튀검증
Of the nine walks SSG recorded that day, a whopping eight were for strikes. Including the game against KIA on the 2nd, SSG has 477 strikeouts this season, the most in the league. SSG manager Kim Won-hyung, who is no stranger to this fact, has been asking his pitchers to be aggressive every time.
“Even if you get hit after two strikes, you have to be able to actively compete and fight on the mound,” he said before the KIA game on the 2nd, “I think it’s okay that we gave up a run, but (that part) is not important. If you’re losing, you can hit more home runs, so I want you to be aggressive,” he said. There’s still a long way to go, but it’s something SSG must overcome if they want to retain their crown.