Twins rout sloppy Bears in 1st rival showdown of KBO season

▲ Austin Dean of the LG Twins hits a two-run double against the Doosan Bears during the bottom of the third inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 14, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Kim Hyun-soo of the LG Twins hits a three-run double against the Doosan Bears during the bottom of the fourth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 14, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Doosan Bears third baseman Heo Kyoung-min stays on the ground after allowing a bunt single to Park Hae-min of the LG Twins during the bottom of the fourth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 14, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ LG Twins right fielder Moon Sung-ju makes a sliding catch on a foul ball hit by Yang Suk-hwan of the Doosan Bears during the top of the fifth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 14, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ LG Twins starter Kim Yun-sik pitches against the Doosan Bears during a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 14, 2023. (Yonhap)

baseball-game

Twins rout sloppy Bears in 1st rival showdown of KBO season

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- The LG Twins have stolen more bases than any team in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) so far this season. But on Friday night, they didn't need any base thievery to beat the Doosan Bears 13-4 in the first showdown between the Seoul rivals in 2023.

That's because the Bears, with their sloppy defense, giftwrapped the easy victory to the Twins.

The Twins broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the second inning at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, scoring twice after an error by second baseman Lee Yu-chan. Then in the decisive, four-run, fourth inning for the Twins, Lee and his double play partner, Kim Jae-ho, committed an error apiece, as the Twins put the game out of the Bears' reach.

This was only the second game in which the Twins didn't steal a base this season. They improved to 8-4 with the win, while the Bears fell to 6-5.

The Bears scored the game's first run in the top first, with Yang Suk-hwan cashing in Heo Kyoung-min with a single after Heo had led off the game with a base hit.

The Twins pulled even in the bottom second, thanks to Kim Min-sung's one-out double off starter Raul Alcantara.

They took the lead for good in the third inning.

With runners at first and second following an error and an infield hit, cleanup Austin Dean sent a screamer down the left field line. The ball skipped over the diving third baseman Heo Kyoung-min and rolled all the way to the warning track, allowing both runners to score.

The Twins blew the game wide open with a four-spot in the fourth inning.

After a leadoff walk, Kim Ki-yeon put down a bunt right back to Alcantara. The pitcher threw to second in an attempt to get the lead runner, but shortstop Kim Jae-ho dropped the ball.

Now with two aboard, Seo Geon-chang faked a bunt and slapped a grounder over the head of first baseman Yang Suk-hwan, who was playing in on the grass. Second baseman Lee Yu-chan managed to get to the ball but couldn't field it cleanly. In some heads-up baserunning, Kim Min-sung scored from second to put the Twins ahead 4-1.

A bunt single loaded the bases with nobody out. Alcantara retired the next two batters but couldn't get past No. 3 hitter Kim Hyun-soo, who lined a double to right-center field gap to clear the bases for a 7-1 Twins lead.

The Twins tacked on a couple more runs in the fifth, with two-out hits by Seo and Park Hae-min.

Kim Hyun-soo collected his fourth RBI of the game with a single in the sixth that extended the Twins lead to 10-1.

The Bears tried to make things more interesting in the top eighth, scoring three times on a groundout, a sacrifice fly and an error.

A key defensive play stopped the bleeding for the Twins. With two outs and runners at the corners, pinch hitter Kang Seung-ho sent a roller up the middle. Second baseman Seo Geon-chang made a tough backhand grab and threw a strike to first base to nab Kang by a half step.

An infield hit there would have made it a 10-5 game with the top of the order coming up for the Bears.

Instead, the Twins answered with three runs in the bottom eighth to restore their nine-run advantage.

That three of four Bears errors came from their two middle infielders had a tinge of irony, because their manager, Lee Seung-yuop, had said pregame that he specifically put those two in the starting lineup for their glove.

In contrast, the Twins' defense made some highlight reel-worthy plays.

Third baseman Moon Bo-gyeong played a difficult hop perfectly in the second inning to retire speedy Heo Kyoung-min and made a diving catch on a line drive by Song Seung-hwan in the fourth.

The Bears threatened with two runners on for No. 3 hitter Yang Suk-hwan in the fifth. But right fielder Moon Sung-ju ended that rally with an outstanding catch on a foul ball while sliding into the wall.

Alcantara gave up seven runs in four innings, but only one of them was an earned run. Reliever Park Jung-soo surrendered four runs, three of them unearned.

Twins starter Kim Yun-sik earned his first win of the season after holding the Bears to a run on five hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked three.

(END)

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