(LEAD) Heroes knock off defending champions Wiz in KBO postseason

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SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- The Kiwoom Heroes sent the defending champions KT Wiz packing in the South Korean baseball postseason Saturday.

No. 9 hitter Song Sung-mun had another signature October moment with a go-ahead two-run shot in the fourth at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, while starter An Woo-jin struck out eight in six solid innings, as the Heroes edged out the Wiz 4-3 in Game 5 of their best-of-five first round action.

The Heroes will go on to meet the LG Twins in the second round, also a best-of-five, starting Monday. The Twins had earned a bye to that stage after posting the second-best record in the regular season.

The Wiz won their first Korean Series last year but came up short in their bid to become the first repeat champions in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) since the 2015-16 Doosan Bears.

The Wiz had failed to score off An in six innings in their Game 1 loss last Sunday, but they got to him in the top of the first inning Saturday, as Anthony Alford cashed in Bae Jung-dae, who'd led off the game with a single.

The Heroes tied the score in the bottom second against starter Wes Benjamin, who'd shut them down over seven innings in Game 2 five days earlier. Yasiel Puig hit a one-out double, and Jeon Byeong-woo brought him home with a triple.

Alford broke the tie with a solo home run off An, his first postseason homer in the KBO, for a 2-1 KT lead.

The Heroes wasted a bases-loaded opportunity in the third inning, set up by a couple of singles that sandwiched an intentional walk to Lee Jung-hoo. Puig couldn't capitalize, though, as he grounded out to third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun, who bobbled the ball but recovered in time to throw out the slugger.

The Heroes, though, claimed the lead for good in the very next frame. Benjamin allowed a leadoff double to Lee Ji-young but settled down with back-to-back strikeouts. But he couldn't get past Song, who drove a high slider into the right-field stands to put the Heroes up 3-2.

The Heroes got their insurance run in the fifth, thanks to Benjamin's wild pitch with the bases loaded.

That run proved crucial, as the Wiz got a run back thanks to Jang Sung-woo's double against reliever Yang Hyun in the eighth inning.

An error put the runners at the corners for the Wiz in the same inning, but closer Kim Jae-woong put out the fire by getting a fielder's choice grounder off Kim Min-hyuck's bat.

Kim then pitched a clean ninth inning for the save.

Kiwoom nanager Hong Won-ki said his starting pitcher and the resident clutch hitter both rose to the occasion.

"The key for us was how deep An Woo-jin could go. Although he gave up a run in the first, he held his ground for six innings," Hong said. "Song came through with that huge home run, like he always does this time of year."

An was voted the series MVP after holding the Wiz to two earned runs over 12 innings in two starts while striking out 17.

KT manager Lee Kang-chul said the players left everything they had on the field and he could live with the result.

"We've done well to come this far, and I don't think I have any regrets," he said. "I am just happy that our players did their best until the final out. I want to thank them for their hard work."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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