Seoul: The Doosan Bears capitalized on early offense and solid pitching to defeat the Kiwoom Heroes 7-3 at home in a matchup of two struggling teams in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
According to Yonhap News Agency, Bears captain Yang Eui-ji emerged from an early season slump, collecting his first two RBIs of the season. Starter Choi Min-seok contributed significantly by pitching 5 2/3 shutout innings, securing his first win of the season. This victory improved the Bears' record to 3-6-1, while the Heroes fell to 3-7-0 after committing three errors and issuing six walks.
The Bears set the tone early, scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning. Park Chan-ho initiated the offense with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice. Park Jun-soon then drove in Park Chan-ho with a shallow single to right field. Yang, who had been struggling with a 3-for-32 start to the season, hit a double to left field, allowing Park Jun-soon to score from first and giving Yang his first RBI of 2026.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Bears took advantage of the Heroes' defensive lapses to extend their lead. Kim Min-suk reached base on a throwing error by shortstop Eo Joon-seo and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Kang Seung-ho's single to center field drove in Kim Min-suk, and Kang advanced to third on a throwing error by the center fielder. Kang scored on Yun Jun-ho's sacrifice fly, making it a 4-0 game.
The Bears increased their lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning, thanks to Yang's sacrifice fly following two walks by Chung. Choi Min-seok maintained control on the mound, working around base runners and avoiding runs. He faced trouble in the top of the fifth but managed to strike out Lee Ju-hyoung to keep the Heroes scoreless.
Choi exited the game in the sixth inning with the Bears leading 5-0. The Bears added two more runs in the seventh inning through a wild pitch and an RBI single by Kim Min-suk. The Heroes responded in the top of the eighth with Choi Joo-hwan's RBI single and a two-run home run by Lee Hyung-jong, reducing the deficit to 7-3.
In the ninth inning, Bears closer Kim Taek-yeon loaded the bases with a single and two walks but managed to strike out the final two batters, securing the victory before an audience of 15,461 fans.