Samsung secured the top position in the first half of the professional baseball season for the first time in 11 years.
Samsung secured a 6-5 win over LG in their Daegu home game on July 9, ending the game with a 51-32-2 record (winning percentage 0.614). They took back the first position after one day by leading the three-game series against LG (52-33, winning percentage 0.612) with two wins and one loss. In the bottom of the sixth inning, with the score tied at 3-3, Samsung added two runs through two hits, one walk, and an outfield fly. In the eighth inning, Kim Young-woong helped ensure the win with a solo home run.
This marks Samsung’s first instance of claiming the top position in the first half under the 10-team structure since 2015. Back then, they remained at the summit until the second half of the regular season. They carried forward their success by winning four straight regular season and Korean Series titles between 2011 and 2014. Nevertheless, in the 2015 Korean Series, they lost the leading position to Doosan, who had placed third in the regular season.
KIA, finishing in fourth place, beat Lotte, who were in eighth position, with a score of 5-2, ending a four-game losing streak. Starting pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong gave up one run (five hits, one walk) in five innings, earning his sixth win (five losses) this season. Kim Do-yeong of KIA hit a solo home run (27th) in the sixth inning, while the team was down 2-1, tying with LG’s Austin Dean for the lead in home runs. Na Sung-bum of KIA hit a two-run home run (17th) in the eighth inning, falling just one short of reaching 300 career home runs.
Doosan claimed fifth position by defeating SSG 7-0 at their home ground in Jamsil. An Jae-seok and Kang Seung-hoo started the lead with consecutive two-run home runs in the second inning.
Hanwha, ranked sixth, beat NC, who were seventh, with a score of 6-4 in Daejeon. Tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Oh Jae-won scored the leading run with a triple, while Hwang Young-muk provided an additional hit for security.
The match between KT and Kiwoom in Suwon was canceled as a no-game because of rain. KT was ahead 3-0 after the top of the fourth inning when heavy rain stopped the game, and it was later declared a no-game 106 minutes later.
A total of 73,966 individuals participated in the four matches on that day, increasing the first-half count to 7.6338 million (an average of 18,004 per game) over 424 games. This exceeded last year’s first-half record of 7.5802 million (440 games, averaging 17,228 per game), establishing a new highest attendance figure for the first half.
On the 10th, the Futures All-Star Game will take place at Jamsil Stadium, with the second team All-Star Game also held at the same location on the 11th. The second half of the regular season starts again on the 16th.
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