Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, where the KBO game between KIA and Doosan took place on June 6. In the ninth inning, Kia fans in the away section of the stadium, which held 24,468 fans, began singing the cheer “Southbound Train”. It is a kind of celebration song that KIA fans who filled the stands until the last minute of the game must sing before leaving, and on this day, it was a rousing song to celebrate a monumental victory. It was the first time in 10 years and 3 months (3730 days) that Kia had won nine straight games. The Kia fans, who filled more seats than the home team, Doosan, sang more than ever. The atmosphere was overheated as if it was the Korean Series. For once, the ‘Tiger Army’ KIA was the master of the room.
On June 6, KIA won 7-1 against Doosan in the 2023 KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.
The win was KIA’s ninth consecutive victory. It was the first time in 3730 days since June 2013 that KIA has won nine straight games. Starting with a win over KT on March 24, KIA won all three games against Hanwha, took one win in a three-game series against NC (two games were rained out), and swept a three-game series against SSG last weekend. KIA also won against Doosan to complete a nine-game winning streak.
Against Doosan, KIA was perfect in the two-hitter. Doosan brought out their ‘homegrown ace’ Kwak-bin to keep KIA at bay. Kwak-Bin had previously been strong against KIA with a 2-0 record and a 1.59 ERA, but he was unable to keep up with the KIA bats on this day. Kwak-Bin left the game early after giving up six runs on six hits (two home runs) with three walks and four strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
The KIA bats combined for 13 hits on the day. Na Sung-beom and Kim Do-young led off the game with back-to-back two-run blasts in the third and fourth innings, respectively. With two outs in the third inning, Na took a curveball from Kwak Bin and launched a two-run shot over the right field fence. The home run gave KIA a 2-0 lead. It was Na’s 15th home run of the season against his former club. He has been on a roll lately, hitting four home runs in his last five games.
The bats weren’t the only ones doing well. Foreign pitcher Pannoni, who started the game for KIA, shut down the Doosan bats with six innings of three-hit ball, striking out seven. Park Joon-pyo and Yoon Jung-hyun, who came out of the bullpen, also did not allow a run, and Kim Yoo-shin, who pitched the ninth inning, gave up just one run to complete the 7-1 victory.
“It feels good for the team to continue the winning streak and for me personally to pitch the way I like to pitch,” Panoni said after the game. “The team has a very good offense, so I was able to pitch without any pressure,” he said. “I don’t know how long it will last, but I hope the team can continue the streak. We are in a fierce battle for the top spot, and if I do my part to help the team win, I think we will have good results.”
Kia head coach Kim Jong-kook said, “We had a good performance in the second inning. First of all, starter Panoni did his job very well, throwing six scoreless innings as expected,” said Kim. “At the plate, Na Sung-beom’s leadoff home run in the first inning set the tone early. Then, in the top of the fourth inning, Park Chan-ho singled, Kim Do-young homered, and Socrates followed with an RBI single, giving us the big inning and the win. It is encouraging that both batters are maintaining a good sense of the game.”
In conclusion, Coach Kim said, “We were able to continue our winning streak thanks to the support of many fans even though it was a weekday. We will do our best tomorrow.”메이저놀이터
KIA will attempt to extend its winning streak to 10 games against Dusan on July 7. The team’s signature pitcher Yang Hyun-jong will start. Doosan’s counterpart will be Choi Won-jun.