Park Dong-won's 8th-inning rally gives LG its first win over KS in 21 years

KT wins Game 2 5-4 to take the series 1-1
Choi Won-tae 1/3 inning, 4 runs allowed, 7 relievers used in the chase.
Oh Ji-hwan Solopo-Kim Hyun-soo RBI double, Park Dong-won Game 2 MVP

A roaring Park Dong-won LG catcher Park Dong-won roars around the bases after hitting a game-winning two-run home run to make it 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 2 of the Korean Series against KT on Monday. After going 0-for-3 in Game 1 the previous day, Park went 2-for-4 with the game-winning home run to lead his team to victory.

It took exactly 21 years to add one more Korean Series (KS) win. LG, the No. 1 team in the Korean Baseball Organization's regular season, came from behind to beat No. 2 KT 5-4 in Game 2 of the 2023 Korean Series at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Monday. In the bottom of the eighth inning, with the score tied at 3-4, outfielder Park Dong-won hit a two-run homer to turn the game around. Avenging the previous day's loss, LG evened the series at 1-1.

It has been exactly 21 years (7670 days) since LG won the Korean Series on November 8, 2002, also in Jamsil, in Game 5 of that year. LG opened the game with two runs in the top of the first inning, but eventually rallied for an 8-7 victory. However, two days later in Game 6 in Daegu, the team lost the series 2-4 on a walk-off home run by Samsung's Ma Hae-young, and was not invited back to the Korean Series for another 20 years.

After giving up four runs in the top of the first inning, LG was unable to capitalize on KT starter Cuevas and fell behind 1-4 by the end of the fifth inning. In the bottom of the sixth inning, LG captain Oh Ji-hwan, who came to bat with one out, took Cuevas' first-pitch cut fastball and smashed it over the right field fence for a one-run home run. Two batters later, Park Hae-min walked and Kim Hyun-soo hit a timely double down the right field line off reliever Park Young-hyun to cut the deficit to 3-4. The next batter, Austin, grounded out to short to end the game, but hopes of a comeback began to bubble up among the LG fans in their glossy jumpers.

With momentum on their side, LG turned the game around in the bottom of the eighth. Oh Ji-hwan, who had hit a home run in the previous at-bat, led off with a walk. Moon Bo-kyung sent him to second with a sacrifice bunt, and then Park Dong-won, the No. 7 hitter, took a changeup from Park Young-hyun for a two-run home run that traveled 122.3 meters (per Trackman data). Park was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of Game 2 after going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

The LG bench also shined on the mound. LG starter Choi Won-tae struggled with his control from the start of the game. After facing five batters with only one out, he gave up a hit and two walks before being removed from the game. Choi gave up four runs in one-third of an inning as his replacement, Lee Jung-yong, walked the tying run.

LG's bench then made a game-changing decision to bring in Jeong Woo-young in the third inning and Kim Jin-sung in the top of the fourth to hold off further runs and set the stage for the upset. Reliever Ko Woo-seok, who took the loss in Game 1, came on in the top of the ninth and struck out three KT batters to end the game. LG's seven relievers combined for eight and two-thirds scoreless innings.

"The most important thing is that today's win instilled confidence in the players," said LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop. "The young pitchers without KS experience played a good game, which gave us several cards to use in the remaining games." A full house of 23,750 spectators gathered in Jamsil for the second consecutive day, continuing a sellout record. Game 3 will be held on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at KT Anbang Suwon. sportstotomen