KT Wiz starter Davis Daniel, who threw six scoreless innings for his first KBO win, pitches against the Hanwha Eagles at Suwon KT Wiz Park in Gyeonggi on Sept. 1.KT WIZ
SUWON, Gyeonggi — The Samsung Lions and the KT Wiz held their top positions on the league after winning their respective games on Tuesday.
Second-place KT beat the Hanwha Eagles 6-1 at Suwon KT Wiz Park behind six scoreless innings from starter Davis Daniel. That same evening, league-leading Samsung shut out the Lotte Giants 3-0 in Daegu for a sixth straight win to hold on to its half-game lead at the top of the KBO.
Daniel held Hanwha to four hits and two walks over six innings and struck out six. It was his fourth KBO start and first win since KT signed him in late July to replace Matt Sauer.
The right-hander topped out at 148 kilometers per hour (92 miles per hour) with his fastball. Rather than relying on heat, he got through the Hanwha lineup on variety instead. His pitching range mixed in a curveball, a changeup, a sweeper, a two-seam fastball and a cutter.
Daniel said his command was poor early and that KT's quick run support let him settle. He said he had tried to take Hanwha's timing away and that mixing six pitches produced the result.
“It is encouraging to see Daniel adjusting to the KBO,” KT manager Lee Kang-chul said. “He handled trouble well and laid the groundwork for the win. Congratulations to him on his first win in the Korean League. The bullpen pitchers did their jobs too.”
KT took the lead in the first, when Kim Sang-su singled to center with two outs and runners on first and second. Jang Jin-hyuk made it 2-0 by leading off the second with a solo home run to right, his third of the season.
KT Wiz outfielder Sam Hilliard swings during a game at the Suwon KT Wiz Park in Gyeonggi on Aug. 25.KT WIZ
Jang's previous plate appearance had ended KT's game against the Doosan Bears last Thursday with a walk-off homer in the 11th inning. Tuesday's shot gave him home runs in consecutive plate appearances for the first time in his career.
KT added two more in the second. Han Seung-taek and Choi Won-jun doubled for a run, and outfielder Sam Hilliard drove in another with a sacrifice fly to left with the bases loaded and two outs. Pinch hitter Kim Min-hyuck made it 6-0 with a two-run single in the seventh, again with the bases loaded. Hanwha broke up the shutout with a run off Ju Kwon in the ninth.
Hilliard reached 100 RBIs for the season with that sacrifice fly. He had already passed 30 home runs, so the run made him the second KT player to reach both marks in a season, after Mel Rojas Jr.
Hanwha has now lost seven in a row. Owen White took the loss after giving up four runs, three of them earned, over five innings.
Samsung Lions starter Austin Voth, who threw seven scoreless innings against Lotte on Sept. 1, pitches in his KBO debut against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on July 26.YONHAP
Austin Voth threw seven scoreless innings for Samsung in Daegu. Lee Jae-hyeon hit a solo home run in the fifth, his 15th of the year, and became the ninth player this season to homer against all nine other KBO clubs. Closer Kim Jae-yoon worked a scoreless ninth for his 30th save. Lotte has lost five straight.
The LG Twins beat Doosan 3-1 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul. Song Chan-eui supplied all three LG runs with a go-ahead three-run homer in the fourth, his 14th of the season.
Im Chan-kyu gave up one run over six innings for his 13th win, tying Doosan's Choi Min-seok for the league lead in wins. The result moved LG past the Kia Tigers into third and three games clear of fifth-place Doosan.
The SSG Landers blanked the Kiwoom Heroes 4-0 at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul. Ninth-place SSG moved within one game of eighth-place Hanwha. Kiwoom, in last place, has lost five in a row.
BY BAE YOUNG-EUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
