SEOUL– The SSG Landers staged a late rally to defeat the Kiwoom Heroes 8-2 in Game 3 of the Korean Series on Friday, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship round.
Juan Lagares smacked a two-run home run in the top of the eighth to erase a 1-0 deficit for the Landers at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, and then they erupted for six runs in the top of the ninth to turn a tense contest into a breezy victory. Their much-maligned bullpen came through with 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball to back a strong outing by starter Oh Won-seok.
Game 4 is back at the dome at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Landers pounded out 14 hits in the rout and have 36 hits in three games this series.
The Landers created some traffic early against starter Eric Jokisch, who stranded a runner at second with a strikeout in the first inning and then induced an inning-ending double play in the second inning following a one-out single.
The Landers couldn’t capitalize after putting men at the corners with two outs in the third.
Landers starter Oh Won-seok cruised through the first three innings, retiring the first seven batters, six via groundouts. The Heroes failed to cash in after putting two men aboard with two outs in the bottom third.
Jokisch got some help from his defense, with right fielder Yasiel Puig making a leaping catch at the wall to take away an extra-base hit from Oh Tae-gon with two outs in the fourth.
Kim Tae-jin finally had the icebreaker for the Heroes in the bottom fourth with a two-out single that brought home Puig, who’d doubled earlier in the inning.
The Heroes couldn’t extend that rally, however, as Lee Ji-young, a runner at first on the play, was tagged out in a rundown while trying to reach third.
The Landers tried to respond in the top fifth, but they couldn’t get anything past Jokisch after a leadoff single by Kim Sung-hyun.
The Landers wasted yet another opportunity in the sixth, as Oh Tae-gon popped out to third against new pitcher Kim Seon-gi with two outs and runners at first and third.
The Heroes missed their own scoring chance in the bottom sixth. A double, an infield single and a walk loaded the bases at two outs for Kim Tae-in, who’d singled in the game’s first run. Reliever Kim Taek-hyeong got him to whiff on a 1-2 slider to escape the inning unscathed and keep the Landers in the game.
The Landers finally solved Heroes pitching in the eighth. After Choi Jeong reached on an error, sidearmer Kim Dong-hyeok relieved Choi Won-tae to handle the heart of the order.
Kim retired Han Yoo-seom on a line drive to right field, but couldn’t get past Lagares, who battled Kim for seven pitches before homering over the left field wall for a 2-1 Landers lead.
Lee Jung-hoo led off the bottom eighth with a double, and a two-out walk for Lee Ji-young put runners at the corners. Kim Tae-jin came up again in a big spot but he once again struck out.
The Landers blew the game wide open with six runs in the top of the ninth. Pinch hitter Kim Kang-min singled in a run with the bases loaded and Choi Jeong followed with a two-run single. Han Yoo-seom then cleared the bases with a two-run double, and then Park Seong-han knocked in another run with a double, as a 2-1 lead ballooned to an 8-1 advantage in a hurry.
The Heroes got an inconsequential run back on a groundout in the bottom ninth.
Oh Won-seok more than held his own in his first career postseason start for the Landers. The left-hander held the Heroes to a run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings while striking out seven. He threw 88 pitches, 58 of them for strikes.
SSG manager Kim Won-hyong said he had been worried about Oh before the game and praised the 21-year-old for rising to the occasion.
“He really exceeded our expectations,” Kim said. “It was encouraging to see him pumping strikes in a big game like this. He already has a ton of guts. If he can work on his mechanics a bit, he will be an even better pitcher.”
Losing manager Hong Won-ki said his team should have tacked on more runs after breaking the deadlock in the fourth.
“After getting that first run, we were chasing the game a little bit,” Hong said. “Then the error in the eighth inning shifted the momentum a bit, and Kim Dong-hyeok made the mistake to Lagares. That was the game.”
The Landers will try to take a stranglehold on the series in Game 4 with left-hander Shawn Morimando on the mound.
Morimando will start on three days’ rest after his relief outing in Tuesday’s series opener. He threw 39 pitches in 1 2/3 innings then, which ruled him out for his scheduled start in Friday’s game.
A midseason replacement for Ivan Nova, Morimando had an excellent 1.67 ERA in 12 starts with a 7-1 record in the regular season. He also pitched well against the Heroes, going 1-0 in two starts with a 2.25 ERA. He held them to three runs on eight hits in 12 innings and struck out 12.
Lee Jung-hoo had the most success among Heroes hitters against Morimando, going 3-for-5 with a double. On the flip side, Yasiel Puig struck out four times in six plate appearances against Morimando.
The Heroes, who have run out of starting pitchers with No. 1 man An Woo-jin still limited by a blister, will go with left-handed reliever Lee Seung-ho.
Lee made 53 relief appearances in the regular season, posting a 3.58 ERA. He held the Landers scoreless in 8 1/3 innings across eight games.
His last start game on Aug. 25 last year.
Source: Yonhap News Agency