SOUTH KOREA – Lotte Giants infielder Hwang Jae-gyun delivered a walk-off single and the Eastern All-Stars edged the Western All-Stars in a wild KBO All-Star Game Saturday at Daegu Stadium.
The Western squad, consisting of players from the KIA Tigers, Hanhwa Eagles, Nexen Heroes and LG Twins, raced out to a quick 6-0 lead against SK Wyverns staff ace Kim Kwang-hyeon. Lee Dae-hyeong and Choi Hee-seop highlighted a six-run first with run-scoring doubles to chase Kim, who recorded just one out in a brief outing.
The Eastern team – featuring standouts from SK, Samsung Lions, Doosan Bears and Lotte Giants – cut the lead in half on a two-run shot by Hong Seong-heun, and an RBI double by Mexican slugger Karim Garcia.
LG third baseman Jeong Seong-hoon stretched the Western lead to 8-3 with a two-run single in the third, and the Eastern side seemed to be in trouble. But a trio of long balls in the seventh by Hong, Garcia and Yang Jun-hyeok knotted the score to set the stage for Hwang’s late heroics.
Hong, this year’s top vote-getter, went 4-for-5 with two homers, three runs scored and a trio of RBIs to capture the Most Valuable Player award.
Photo courtesy of Korea Baseball Organization
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