Refer Report

Won 7 to 2 in the final match of the season against Kiwoom.
Choi Jeong explodes with 2 home runs and plays the role of a problem solver

The 5th place match was held for the first time since its introduction.
Winning team, wild card match against Doosan on the 2nd

Choo Shin-soo, ‘last at-bat’ of his career as a player
Ground ball to second base…fans warm applause and tears

‘Fixer’ Choi Jeong (37) brought the last win that professional baseball SSG needed to keep its fall baseball hopes alive. SSG, who defeated Kiwoom in the final game of the regular season, will determine the winner of the final postseason ticket through the 5th place match against KT. This is the first time that a tiebreaker is held for 5th place.

SSG won 7-2 in the home game against Kiwoom held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 30th. As a result, SSG, which recorded 72 wins, 2 draws, and 70 losses in 144 games (a winning rate of 0.507), rose to a tie for 5th place with KT (72 wins, 2 draws, and 70 losses, a winning rate of 0.507), which finished 144 games first.

SSG and KT will play a single tiebreaker to determine the final ranking in Suwon on the 1st according to the 5th place match regulations introduced in 2022. The two teams are tied at 8 wins and 8 losses this season, but KT, which leads the opponent in scoring, took advantage of the home stadium. OB (now Doosan) and Haitai (now KIA) have faced each other in the 1st place match in 1986, and KT and Samsung in 2021, but the 5th place match was held for the first time this year.

SSG, which ended the 2024 season with just a draw, had to win on this day. However, SSG, which virtually played as if it was entering the postseason with about 10 games left, was not able to form its full strength. Built-in center fielder Choi Ji-hoon and Oh Tae-gon, who boasted a fierce hitting ability, were not included in the starting list due to injuries, and sure-to-win Moon Seung-won was also in poor condition with his arm.

SSG coach Lee Soong-yong said before the game, “We have been playing the postseason for 10 days now. “The players have come this far with the fighting spirit of giving everything they have,” he said, adding, “There are very few players in good physical condition, but I will do my best to the end as I have come this far.”

The frustrating flow continued at the beginning of the game. SSG failed to capitalize on all of its opportunities to score in the 1st inning with 1 out and 1st and 3rd bases, and with 1 out and 2nd bases in the 2nd inning. The solution was, of course, Choi Jeong. Choi Jeong-eun, who warmed up with a hit in her first at-bat in the first inning, hit Kiwoom Kim Seon-gi’s slider to the center in the third inning with the score tied 0-0 with one out and first base, firing a two-run gun that went over the left field fence.

Choi Jeong once again came to bat in the 4th inning with the bases loaded and 2 outs when the team was ahead 3-0, and did not disappoint the expectations of the packed crowd who chanted “base loaded home run!” He hit Kiwoom Kim Dong-hyuk’s third pitch with a fastball to the outside, this time hitting a grand slam that went over the right wall. Choi Jeong-eun, who hit his 37th home run of the season with a grand slam, rose to second place (15) in the most grand slams in his career, trailing KIA coach Beom-ho Lee (17), who ranked first in this category, by two.

Starting pitcher Drew Anderson, who collapsed after giving up 6 runs (5 earned) in 2 innings against Incheon LG on the 24th due to the aftermath of ‘taking the mound after 4 days of rest’, completed his role as an ace on this day with 5 scoreless innings. The bullpen, which was activated starting from the 6th inning, blocked Kiwoom’s batting lineup with the minimum number of runs allowed. Closer Cho Byeong-hyun, who came on the mound with bases loaded and 2 outs in the top of the 9th inning, ended the game by grounding out Won Seong-jun.

Meanwhile, Choo Shin-soo, who is retiring at the end of this season, had his last at-bat as a baseball player as a pinch hitter with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning with a 7-1 lead. Choo Shin-soo, who suffered a shoulder injury, retired with a ground ball to second base, but returned to the dugout amid warm applause and tears from fans.

SSG and KT, who are about to board the last train to the fall, announced Roenis Elias and Eom Sang-baek, respectively, as starting pitchers for the 5th place match. The tiebreaker winner will play the wild card match against Doosan in Jamsil starting on the 2nd.

Source: Korean