KIA Tigers foreign pitcher Mario Sanchez has been in a slump. The 10-strikeout impact he made in his first start is gone. He threatens to become the only hole in the KIA starting lineup.
On August 6, KIA played to a 4-4 draw against the Gwangju Hanwha Eagles. With its three-game winning streak intact, KIA maintained its sixth place in the league with a season record of 44 wins, 2 draws, and 43 losses.
On the day, KIA sent Sanchez to the mound. In the top of the first inning, Sanchez gave up a double to Kim Tae-yeon and a walk to Noh Si-hwan to put runners on second and third. However, Sanchez struck out Kim In-hwan on a swinging strike to prevent the first run from scoring.
Sanchez gave up a walk with two outs in the top of the second, but induced a bunt to end the inning. KIA got on the board in the bottom of the second when Socrates doubled and scored on a throwing error in left field.
Sanchez retired the next three batters in a row to start the third inning. However, Sanchez ran into trouble in the top of the fourth. In the top of the fourth, Sanchez drew a full count with leadoff hitter Noh Si-hwan and hit a 147 km/h fastball for a 110-meter solo home run.
Then, with runners on first and third after a walk, Sanchez gave up an RBI double to Ha Ju-seok to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Sanchez’s shaky start continued in the top of the fifth. Sanchez gave up a well-hit line drive to shortstop to lead off the fifth inning. After giving up a walk to Kim Tae-yeon, Sanchez gave up a single up the middle to Noh Si-hwan for his third run of the game.
Eventually, the KIA bench decided to make a pitching change to stem the tide. Sanchez gave way to Choi Ji-min, who was unable to complete the fifth inning. Choi gave up a hit to Kim In-hwan and a sacrifice fly to Chae Eun-sung, extending Sanchez’s deficit to four runs.
KIA cut the deficit to one run in the bottom of the fifth on Kim Kyu-sung’s RBI single and Socrates’ push single in the bottom of the eighth, and tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth on Na Sung-beom’s dramatic RBI single with runners on second and third. After utilizing its bullpen, KIA ended the game in a tie in the 12th inning.
Sanchez gave up a walk with two outs in the bottom of the second, but induced a bunt to end the inning. KIA took the lead in the bottom of the second when Socrates led off with a double and scored on a fly ball to left field.
Sanchez retired the next three batters in a row to start the third inning. But Sanchez ran into trouble in the top of the fourth. Sanchez faced a full count with one out and took a 147-mile-per-hour fastball for a 110-meter solo home run.토토사이트
With runners on first and third after a walk, Sanchez gave up an RBI double to Ha Ju-seok to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Sanchez’s shaky start continued in the top of the fifth. Sanchez gave up the first run of the inning on a grounder to shortstop. After giving up a walk to Kim Tae-yeon, Sanchez gave up a single up the middle to Noh Si-hwan for his third run of the game.
Eventually, the KIA bench decided to make a pitching change to stem the tide. Sanchez handed the mound over to Choi Ji-min, who was unable to complete the fifth inning. Choi gave up a single to Kim In-hwan and a sacrifice fly to Chae Eun-sung to increase Sanchez’s deficit to four runs.
KIA cut the deficit to one run in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Kim Kyu-sung and a push hit by Socrates in the eighth, and won the game in the bottom of the ninth on a dramatic RBI single by Na Sung-beom with runners on second and third to tie the game at 4-4. Utilizing its bullpen, KIA tied the game in the 12th inning.