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By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) — Starter Connor Seabold tossed a complete game shutout as the Samsung Lions squeezed past the Kiwoom Heroes 1-0 in Seoul on Tuesday.
Seabold gave up just three singles while striking out a season-high 11 batters in a dominant performance in front of 14,421 fans at the 16,000-seat Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.
It was just the fourth complete game shutout by a starting pitcher in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) this season and the first by a Lions foreign pitcher since David Buchanan had one on May 14, 2022.
The Lions improved to 67-54-2 (wins-losses-ties), good for second place, while the Heroes dropped to 53-68, still in last place.
Samsung Lions starter Connor Seabold pitches against the Kiwoom Heroes during the teams’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Aug. 27, 2024, in this photo provided by the Lions. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
With both Seabold and his counterpart, Enmanuel De Jesus, dealing on the mound, the teams traded zeroes for five innings. Then the Lions finally broke through in the top of the sixth inning.
After leading off the inning with an infield single, speedster Kim Ji-chan stole second base to get himself into scoring position. Then Yoon Jeong-bin drove him home with a single to right field.
Yoon had entered the game in the top fourth as pinch runner for Lewin Diaz, who was hit on the left wrist by a fastball from De Jesus.
Samsung Lions players celebrate their 1-0 win over the Kiwoom Heroes in the teams’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Aug. 27, 2024, in this photo provided by the Lions. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Staked to a 1-0 lead, Seabold pitched around a leadoff single by Lee Ju-hyoung in the bottom sixth and retired the three most dangerous hitters for the Heroes in order.
First, Seabold got Kim Hye-seong to pop out to third. The right-hander then struck out Song Sung-mun and Choi Joo-hwan to keep the Lions up by a run.
Seabold didn’t give up another hit after that, retiring his final nine batters in order to finish what he started.
De Jesus was the hard-luck loser despite giving up just the one run in six strong innings while striking out five. It was his best outing against the Lions this year, after allowing eight runs on 11 hits, including three home runs, in 10 1/3 innings across his previous two meetings against them.
Of Seabold’s 11 strikeouts, nine were of the swinging variety — six with a slider, two with a four-seam fastball and one with a changeup.
Prior to Tuesday, Seabold had a 1-3 record with a 7.08 ERA versus the Heroes, his worst mark against any opponent this year. At Gocheok Sky Dome in particular, Seabold had gone 1-1 with a 7.45 ERA before Tuesday.
Samsung Lions starter Connor Seabold (R) celebrates with his third baseman, Kim Young-woong, after throwing a complete game shutout against the Kiwoom Heroes in the teams’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Aug. 27, 2024, in this photo provided by the Lions. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Lions manager Park Jin-man said this was easily Seabold’s best outing in the KBO so far.
“He had struggled at Gocheok before, but hopefully, he has turned the corner after this game,” Park said. “Yoon Jeong-bin played the hero with his RBI in the sixth inning, and that was a pleasant surprise.”
Yoon, a little-used backup, admitted it took him a while to get his bearings because he entered the game on such short notice.
“It was a bit chaotic today, but I tried to stay focused,” Yoon said. “Whether it was a fastball or a breaking ball, my plan was to swing if the pitch was in the zone. So I was able to get a hit off a slider with two strikes.”
Yoon, who bats left-handed, had just three hits in 21 previous at-bats against left-handed pitchers. De Jesus has been one of the best lefties in the KBO this year, but Yoon said he wasn’t intimidated.
“I know my numbers say I haven’t been good against left-handers, but it’s not like I feel uncomfortable against them at the plate,” he said. “I try to go into every at-bat feeling confident.”
Yoon Jeong-bin of the Samsung Lions hits an RBI single against the Kiwoom Heroes during the teams’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Aug. 27, 2024, in this photo provided by the Lions. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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