With the outcome of their Korea Baseball Organization postseason game hanging in the balance, the KT Wiz decided to intentionally walk LG Twins leadoff man Hong Chang-ki to load the bases.

With one out in the bottom of the sixth in Game 2 of the first round at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, the Twins were up 4-2. The Wiz were hoping to get a double play ball off the bat of No. 2 hitter Shin Min-jae to escape the inning and stay within striking distance.

The logic might have been sound, but Shin ruined the Wiz’s plan with one swing of the bat.

Shin slapped a single to left field, and when left fielder Kim Min-hyuck let the ball scoot past him, all three runners came around to score, making it a 7-2 game.

Shin Min-jae of the LG Twins hits a two-run single against the KT Wiz during Game 2 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 6, 2024. (Yonhap)

Shin Min-jae of the LG Twins hits a two-run single against the KT Wiz during Game 2 of the
first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 6, 2024. (Yonhap)

Shin was credited with two RBIs on the play. He had knocked in a tying run to make it a 2-2 game in the bottom of the third, and finished the game with a postseason career high of three RBIs.

He had two RBIs in his 11 previous postseason games combined.

Shin entered this postseason with a career .211 batting average, with four hits in 19 at-bats over 10 games. In two games so far this series, he already has four hits in seven at-bats, along with a couple of walks and three steals.

Shin has also been rock solid on defense at second base. The late bloomer who didn’t become an everyday player until 2023 at age 27, Shin is making his presence all over the field.

Shin had been thrown out at home trying to score on a bloop single in the fifth inning, but he said he was able to put that behind him quickly, knowing that he still had more game to play.

“I think being able to forget about mistak
es has helped me along the way,” Shin said. “I try not to get too high or too low over the course of a game.”

And when the Wiz walked Hong to face Shin instead in the sixth, Shin said he found the situation “interesting.”

“I figured they would walk Chang-ki to bring me to the plate, and I thought of swinging the bat on the first pitch,” Shin said. “Instead, I worked the count to 3-1. I was looking for a fastball on the outside corner and I got just that.”

Shin Min-jae of the LG Twins celebrates after hitting a two-run single against the KT Wiz during Game 2 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 6, 2024. (Yonhap)

Shin Min-jae of the LG Twins celebrates after hitting a two-run single against the KT Wiz during Game 2 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 6, 2024. (Yonhap)

As for batting higher in the lineup than he did in the past, Shin said, “Whether I bat ninth or s
econd, it is a difference of maybe one at-bat per game. And I think all I need is one big hit. Even if I don’t get it, I am confident my teammates will have my back.”

On Sunday, Shin had the back of his starting pitcher, Im Chan-kyu, who threw his postseason career-high 5 2/3 innings for his first postseason victory as a starter. He only had one relief win to his credit in six previous appearances.

Im struck out four and one of the two runs he allowed was unearned.

The 31-year-old pitched around a two-out single in the top of the first. He gave up the game’s first run on Hwang Jae-gyun’s single, which followed a throwing error by catcher Park Dong-won on a steal attempt by Bae Jung-dae.

LG Twins starter Im Chan-kyu acknowledges fans after retiring the side in the top of the fifth inning of Game 2 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason against the KT Wiz at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 6, 2024. (Yonhap)

LG Twins starter Im Chan-kyu acknowledges fans after retiring the
side in the top of the fifth inning of Game 2 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason against the KT Wiz at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 6, 2024. (Yonhap)

Im pitched into trouble in the third inning, when he allowed consecutive singles to begin the proceedings. But Im struck out Jang Sung-woo, before Kang Baek-ho’s sacrifice fly made it a 2-0 game for the Wiz. Im avoided further damage by striking out Moon Sang-chul to end the inning.

Im’s teammates responded with two runs in the bottom third to tie the game. After Im kept the Wiz off the board in the top fourth, the Twins took the lead for good with two more runs in the bottom half of that inning.

Im worked a perfect fifth inning to let the lead stand, his only three-up, three-down inning of this game. He got the hook after allowing a one-out single to pinch hitter Cheon Seong-ho in the sixth inning, having thrown 92 pitches, his new postseason career high.

Im threw 32 changeups, 32 four-seam fastballs, 25 curveballs
and three sliders. Three of his four strikeouts came on his changeup.

“I knew my poor track record in the postseason and I am sure the fans did, too,” Im said. “I wanted to do so well today but at the same time, I knew I had to be patient and composed. I got a ton of help from my defense. Hopefully, this will be the starting point of a new chapter in my postseason career.”

As for giving up early runs, Im said, “It’s not as though I was trying to shut them down. My mindset was to limit the damage the best I can, and I think it allowed me to go deep into the game.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency