LG Twins outfielder Park Dong-won helped the Twins win Game 2 of the Korean Series in a thriller that will go down in history. Not only did he hit the game-winning home run, but he also secured the victory with a steady lead in the final inning.
LG defeated KT Wiz 8-7 in Game 3 of the best-of-seven 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason Korean Series (best-of-five, KT-LG) at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on Tuesday. It was an epic drama that surpassed the 5-4 comeback win in Game 2 on April 8.굿모닝토토
Park Dong-won started as the No. 7 hitter and catcher on the day and went 1-for-3 with a double, a home run, two RBIs, one run scored and one walk. It was another dominant performance following his game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 2 on April 8.
Park took down KT pitcher Son Dong-hyun with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning when LG was down 3-4. In a two-ball, one-strike at-bat, he took Son’s four-pitch, 145-kilometer fastball with perfect timing and sent it over the left field fence for a 125-meter shot.
LG responded with a two-run homer by Park Dong-won to make it 5-4. Although they gave up three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to cut the deficit to 5-7, LG never gave up.
In their final at-bat in the top of the ninth inning, LG fostered one last spark of hope as leadoff hitter Hong Chang-ki singled and two batters later, Austin walked to load the bases. Captain Oh Ji-hwan then hit a game-winning three-run home run to cut the deficit to 8-7.
There were numerous twists and turns before LG’s Game 3 victory was finalized. In the bottom of the ninth, Go Woo-seok struck out KT leadoff hitter Anthony Alford on a wild pitch, but one out later, he walked Kim Jun-tae on a pitch to the body.
Go Woo-seok then gave up a single to left to pinch-hitter Jung Jun-young, putting runners at first and second. LG left fielder Moon Sung-joo tried to make a sliding catch, but the ball slipped in and out of his glove.
The LG bench decided to change pitchers to Lee Jung-yong, but the situation worsened as Lee’s changeup became a wild pitch when he batted in his assigned spot.
LG’s bench called for an automatic walk to Byeong-dae, who was at the peak of his hitting form in the third inning with two hits and two walks. With the bases loaded, Lee Jung-yong and Park Dong-won were left to their fate.
Park called for a fastball from Lee, and the ball left Lee’s hand and sailed right through the outside strike zone of KT’s Kim Sang-soo to get a favorable count.
Park chose Lee’s primary weapon, a slider, for the first strike. Lee’s second pitch, a 130-kilometer slider, landed sharply outside the zone.
Kim swung at it, but the ball rolled toward the pitcher. Lee calmly picked up the ball and slammed it home, completing the 1-2-3 comeback of pitcher-catcher-first baseman that ended the long game.
“There were some good parts and some bad parts, but we were able to win because our players didn’t give up and did their best with one mind,” Park Dong-won said after the Game 3 victory. “I was worried about the bases loaded after Lee Jung-yong’s wild pitch when I was batting in the designated hitter’s spot, but I was confident that I could stop it (the run) after getting a first-pitch strike against Kim Sang-soo,” he added.
“It was a good result because he really threw a good pitch on a hard-to-hit second pitch on a one-strike pitch,” he said, praising Lee’s pitching for saving the day.
Park was tired from the blood-curdling battles throughout the game, but he was all smiles. The sweet result of the victory seemed to give him a lot of energy.
“Today’s game was really difficult, but I’m really happy to win,” Park said, “I don’t feel any pain in my body. I will prepare well for the fourth game.”
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