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| White / Photo=DB |
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young] The SSG Landers held off the Hanwha Eagles for a 2-1 win in a tightly contested exhibition game.
On March 14 at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, SSG beat Hanwha 2-1 on the road in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League exhibition matchup.
The victory pushed SSG to consecutive wins and a 2-1 record in exhibition play. Hanwha dropped to 1-2.
The game featured a White vs. White pitching duel. SSG starter Mitch White was excellent, throwing 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out eight.
Offensively, Ko Myung-jun provided the difference. He finished 3-for-4 with a ninth-inning solo homer, one RBI, one run and a stolen base. Oh Tae-gon also had a multi-hit game.
Hanwha starter Owen White went 4.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out seven.
SSG struck first in the top of the second. With one out, Oh Tae-gon singled to right and Lim Geun-woo followed with another hit to right, creating a one-out, runners-on-first-and-second opportunity. Jo Hyung-woo struck out after a full count, but Lee Seung-min delivered an RBI single to right-center, bringing the runner from second home and putting SSG up 1-0.
After being quiet through five innings, Hanwha’s offense finally woke in the sixth. Leadoff hitter Peraza turned on Lee Ki-soon’s fifth pitch — a 140 km/h fastball (about 87 mph) — and lifted a leadoff solo homer to left-center to tie the game.
SSG answered late. In the top of the ninth, leadoff man Ko Myung-jun homered on reliever Joo Hyun-sang’s sixth pitch — a 143 km/h fastball (about 89 mph) — a solo shot estimated at 125 meters. After two outs, SSG threatened again with back-to-back hits from Kim Min-sik and Kim Jung-min and a four-pitch walk to Moon Sang-jun to load the bases, but Kim Min-jun popped out to right and SSG couldn’t add an insurance run.
With the one-run lead intact, SSG turned to closer Jeong Dong-yoon in the bottom of the ninth. Jeong retired leadoff hitter Choi Yoo-bin on a pop to third, then issued a four-pitch walk to pinch hitter Jang Gyu-hyun. He followed by getting Heo In-seo to pop out to right and striking out Park Jeong-hyun to preserve the 2-1 victory.
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
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