‘Lotte sweeps 6th place,’ Kim Jong-kook says, “We’ll continue this momentum next week”

“Sweep vibes to continue next week”.

The KIA Tigers completed a comfortable three-game sweep. They won 6-3 against the Lotte Giants on April 30 at Gwangju-Kia Champions Fields.

Starter Thomas Pannoni pitched 6⅔ scoreless innings to set the stage for the win. Jang Hyun-sik gave up two runs and Choi Ji-min one, but Jung Hae-young earned his third consecutive save on just one hit to preserve the win.

At the plate, Kim Do-young hit the game-winning double in the fourth inning, and Socrates added an RBI double and an RBI sacrifice fly. Choi Hyung-woo also hit a clean double with one out in the seventh inning.

Head coach Kim Jong-kook said, “It’s nice to end the week with back-to-back wins. In his third start, Panoni pitched more than six innings and set the stage for our victory. He handled the hitters well with his steady delivery, and his pitches are getting better and better with each appearance,” he said, congratulating Panoni on his first win.

He also expressed his apologies to Lim Ki-young and Jung Hae-young, who pitched three consecutive innings today, saying, “It must have been physically difficult for them, but they did their job very well.”

“In the batting lineup, Choi Won-jun did a good job as a leadoff hitter, Kim Do-young scored the winning run, Na Sung-beom scored two runs, and Choi Hyung-woo and Socrates 꽁머니지급 did a good job in the center field. I would like to praise the batters for their concentration at the plate.” He also applauded the batters.

He concluded by saying, “All the players did their part and that’s why we were able to win back-to-back games. I would like to thank the fans for their unwavering support and promise to carry this momentum into next week.”