It was a heartbreaking and unbelievable loss for the LG Twins.
On a day when they were trying to win their first championship in 29 years and their first Korean Series game in 21 years. The crowd of 23,750 was filled with glossy jumpers and yellow cheerleading towels, with only a few KT fans visible in the third base bleachers. The owner, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, came to the ballpark to cheer for the first time. A win would have been historic. The team gave up an unfortunate run in the first inning, but quickly came back to win the game. However, the game was tied at 3-3 in the top of the ninth inning when closer Go Woo-seok hit a two-run double off Moon Sang-chul.
LG, which prides itself on its solid defense, made three errors that frustrated the team. In the top of the first inning, Kim Sang-soo stole second base with nobody out, but Park Dong-won’s throw went behind him, leaving him at third base. Hwang Jae-gyun’s infield grounder scored the first run. In the second inning, third baseman Moon Bo-kyung missed a routine grounder by Jang Jang-woo, and in the fourth inning, shortstop Oh Ji-hwan’s replay of Jang Jang-woo’s single to right-center field went sideways. Alford, who had advanced to third base, was lucky enough to be thrown out at home when a throw from pitcher Kelly, who was backed up at the backstop, hit the catcher and bounced, burying Oh’s error. In the top of the ninth inning, Moon Sang-chul doubled, but Oh’s throw to first base to try to catch the runner at home slipped backward, allowing Moon to advance to third. Overall, both mistakes came from trying to make plays in a hurry. LG was also nervous because it was a big game with a lot of spectators, and the pressure to win was high, so they rushed their defense in close games.
However, there were also unexpected results. The players who were criticized for their weak defense showed unexpected hitting and concentration in the big game. In the top of the sixth inning, with the score tied at 2-2, Hwang Jae-gyun hit a ball that looked like it was going to sail over the center field fence. However, second baseman Shin Min-jae was persistent and caught the ball with a bent-leg slide, then got up and threw to first base for the out. Shin Min-jae, whose defense at second base looked shaky at the beginning of the season, has stabilized as he’s played more games as a starter, and now he’s definitely using his quick feet to cover a lot of ground. And he showed it off to the fans on the big stage of the Korean Series.
A super play followed. Alford, No. 3, hit a hard fly ball to left field. It wasn’t going to be a home run, but the ball was curving toward the foul side and away from the onrushing left fielder. Moon was sprinting from quite a distance, but it didn’t look like it was going to be an easy catch. However, Moon slid to the exact spot where the ball landed and made the catch. Kelly, the starting pitcher, looked on nervously and then cheered with open arms, and the batters did the same. Jamsil Stadium erupted in a roar as if Moon had hit a home run. The entire team waited for Moon on the field to show their respect for his play.
Right fielder Hong Chang-ki saved a run with an accurate throw to home plate. With runners on first and second in the top of the seventh inning, tied 2-2, Kim Min-hyuk, the eighth batter, hit a single to right field and quickly threw home to tag out Jang Sung-woo, the second baseman. Hong Chang-ki’s throw reached Park Dong-won’s mitt before Jang did, and the tag was made. Jang Jang-woo thought his foot touched home plate before the tag, so he signaled to the bench for a video review, but the out was upheld.
Game 1 was full of mistakes. However, there were also many errors. After the first game, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “I don’t care about the 바카라사이트 mistakes because they didn’t have a big connection to the score,” and added, “I threw some balls that I shouldn’t have thrown. It’s something that can be covered in tomorrow’s game,” and shrugged it off. It’s true that there were a lot of defensive mistakes. However, it was a good first game with a lot of positives to take away for the rest of the series.
