Going almost to plan with two teams extending their winning streaks while two others continued their recent losing ways, Lotte snatched victory from the jaws of defeat rallying for three runs in the bottom of the ninth against one of the KBO’s leading relievers. Kia’s Kyung-chan Moon yielded his first earned runs since May 10th, recording only one out giving up four hits and three earned runs blowing a win for his team and Aaron Brooks . With one out and the bases loaded, Joon-tae Kim of the Giants hit the game winner, moving Lotte within two games of Kia in the standings for the last playoff spot.
Kiwoom notched its sixth straight win sending the LG Twins to their fourth consecutive loss. SK moved their losing streak to seven while Doosan continued to surge, winning its fifth straight contest. Standings continue to evolve but each team does its best to compete. With all of this in mind, one of the best parts of the KBO remains the passion and flare players display on a daily basis:
MyKBO's Home Run (not quite a bat-flip) of the Day featuring Choi Hyung-woo pic.twitter.com/e4ZZ99Nyp4
— Dan Kurtz (@MyKBO) June 23, 2020
Now it's time to highlight the top performances across Tuesday’s slate.
Starting Pitcher Spotlight
Kia’s Aaron Brooks fired seven shutout innings giving up one hit and three walks while striking out six in a no-decision. Here’s a sample of how his tunneling plays well in the KBO
Aaron Brooks , 94mph Fastball and 87mph Slider, Overlay. pic.twitter.com/MfTPlerV7y
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 23, 2020
Brooks seems to be settling in with a 2-0 record in June over 24.1 innings with a 1.85 ERA and 22:6 K:BB mark.
Chris Flexen recorded his third win allowing seven hits and two earned runs with eight strikeouts, the highest total on the slate. Flexen lowered his ERA to 3.26 this year with 43 strikeouts in 47 innings.
Samsung’s Chae-heung Choi moved to 4-2 working six innings yielding five hits, one earned run and a walk with five strikeouts.
Benefiting from strong run support, Kiwoom’s Won-tae Choi evened his record at 3-3 scattering nine hits, two earned runs, and walking two with four strikeouts against the LG Twins.
NC’s Drew Rucinski notched his fifth win lasting seven innings giving up seven hits, three earned runs, and a walk with six strikeouts. Rucinski’s now third in the KBO in strikeouts with 55 and fifth in ERA (2.67).
Hitter Highlights
Samsung Lions
- Sang-su Kim (2B) - Went 1-for-4 with a run and a walk.
- Won-seok Lee (DH) - Recorded two hits in four at-bats with a run and an RBI.
- Eun-min Kim (C) - A perfect day at the dish going 3-for-3 with two runs, a double, an RBI, and walked.
- Hae-min Park (OF) - Entered the game as a pinch hitter finishing with a double and his fourth home run driving in four runs in two at-bats.
Doosan Bears
- Jae-hwan Kim (DH) - Racked up three hits including his ninth home run, scored two runs, knocked in four, and walked in five plate appearances.
- Jose Miguel Fernandez (1B) - Tallied two hits in four at-bats with three runs, a double, and walked twice.
- Kun-woo Park (OF) - A productive day going 3-for-4 with two runs, a double, and three RBI.
Kiwoom
- Byung-ho Park (1B) - Launched two home runs (9,10) during a 4-for-4 game with three runs, two RBI, and reached via hit-by-pitch. He’s been playing through injury issues this year and battled with reduced production of late, perhaps this game gets Park going.
- Ha-seong Kim (SS) - Hit his ninth home run, a solo shot in five at-bats.
- Jung-hoo Lee (OF) - Quietly ascended into second in the KBO in batting average (.388) going 3-for-5 with a run and a triple.
- Dong-won Park (C) - Snapped out of a three-game hitless streak blasting his ninth home run in four at-bats.
- Hye-sung Kim (2B) - Went 2-for-4 with a run, double, and walked.
NC Dinos
- Eui-ji Yang (C) - Returning to the lineup after getting the weekend off due to vertigo, Yang showed no ill effects going 2-for-3 with two runs, a double, and hit the go-ahead home run for the Dinos, his seventh this year.
- Jin-hyuk No (SS) - Tallied two hits in four at-bats with two RBI.
KT Wiz
- Jeong-dae Bae (OF) - Cracked his first home run of the season during a 2-for-4 day with two runs, a double and an RBI.
- Mel Rojas Jr. (OF) - Moved into the KBO lead hitting his 14th home run among his two hits in four at-bats driving in two. Rojas Jr. also tied Preston Tucker for the league lead in RBI (40) and ranks third in average (.385) making a run at the triple crown possible this year.
- Baek-ho Kang (1B) - Drew two walks and singled in four plate appearances.
Kia Tigers
- Ho-ryung Kim (OF) - Another hot day at the plate for Kim going 3-for-5 with two runs and stole his third base. Kim’s hitting .328 since joining Kia with 20 runs in only 18 games played.
- Hyung-woo Choi (DH) - Hit his seventh home run during a 2-for-3 contest with a run, three RBI, and walked.
Hanwha Eagles
- Tae-kyun Kim (1B) - Went 2-for-3 with his second home run, an RBI, and walked.
Lotte Giants
- Dixon Machado (SS) - Recorded a double, scored a run, and drove in one in four at-bats during Lotte’s comeback win.
Wednesday could be a tricky slate with weather as a potential factor. As of now, here are the updated standings in the KBO:
?June 23rd? Game scores for today!
— KBO (@KBOleague) June 23, 2020
? Check out the latest KBO standings ????#KBO #KBOLeague #scores #standings pic.twitter.com/cg98rvqwHP
Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm across all fantasy formats to remain ahead of the competition and be well.
Statistical Credits:
myKBOstats.com
Eng.koreabaseball.com
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.