The defending Korean baseball champions LG Twins defeated the Hanwha Eagles 8-2 to open their title defense Saturday, knocking down the Eagles’ ex-major league star Ryu Hyun-jin early in the process.Light-hitting infielder Shin Min-jae welcomed Ryu back to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with a two-run single in the bottom of the second inning at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, and the Twins scored five runs off Ryu in front of a sellout crowd of 23,750.Shin drove in three runs for the Twins, one shy of his career high, and Dietrich Enns won his first KBO regular season start after holding the Eagles to two runs on seven hits in six innings. Leadoff man Park Hae-min stole three bases while picking up two hits.Every Twins starter had at least a hit. The Twins pounded out 11 hits overall and also stole six bags.
Enns outdueled Ryu, who gave up five runs — three unearned — on six hits and three walks in only 3 2/3 innings. He did not have a strikeout.This was Ryu’s first KBO regular season start since Oct. 4, 2012. He first pitched for the Eagles from 2006 to 2012 and then played the next 11 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) before reuniting with the Eagles in February with an eight-year, 17 billion-won (US$12.6 million) contract.The Eagles couldn’t cash in after putting the first two runners aboard against Enns in the top of the second inning. Moon Hyun-bin failed to sacrifice the runners over, as his botched bunt attempt led to a forceout of the lead runner at third base. Kim Kang-min then bounced into an inning-ending double play.The Twins made the Eagles pay by drawing the first blood in the bottom second. Ryu gave up a walk and two straight singles to load the bases. Then No. 9 hitter Shin dumped a single to shallow left field to score two runs.The Eagles cut the deficit to 2-1 in the top third, when Yonathan Perlaza doubled down the left field line after the inning’s first two batters reached.
The Eagles kept pounding out hits against Enns and loaded the bases with nobody out in the top fourth thanks to two singles sandwiching a walk.Enns got the first out on a weak comebacker, but then hit No. 9 hitter Choi Jae-hoon in the leg to push in the tying run.Enns escaped the jam without further damage, thanks to a fielder’s choice grounder and a strikeout.The Twins then put up a three-spot in the bottom fourth to take the lead for good, chasing Ryu from the game as well.With two outs, Moon Sung-ju worked a seven-pitch walk and Shin reached on a fielding error by second baseman Moon Hyun-bin.The Twins then smacked three straight singles to knock Ryu out of the game, with the first two of those hits driving in three runs for a 5-2 lead.A groundout by Park Dong-won made it 6-2 in the fifth inning.With the four-run cushion, Enns retired the side in order in both fifth and sixth innings before handing the reins over to the bullpen.Shin picked up his third RBI of the game with a single in the seventh and Austin Dean’s RBI single in the eighth to round out the scoring.Three Twins relievers combined for three perfect innings to lock down the 토토사이트 win