Kiwoom Heroes’ Stellar Performance: 5 Key Takeaways from Their 9-0 Victory Over SSG

Choi Joo-hwan / Photo=DB

[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young] The Kiwoom Heroes dismantled the SSG Landers.

Kiwoom rolled to a 9-0 road win over SSG at Incheon SSG Landers Field on March 21 in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League exhibition game.

The victory moved Kiwoom to 3-1-5 in spring exhibition play. SSG fell to 3-6 and dropped its third straight game.

Starter Alcantara turned in the win for Kiwoom, working five scoreless innings while allowing four hits and striking out two.

Offensively, Choi Joo-hwan paced Kiwoom, going 3-for-5 with a solo homer, an RBI, three runs and a walk. Eo Jun-seo also contributed, finishing 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run.

SSG starter White took the loss, giving up five runs on eight hits (including one home run) with two walks and two strikeouts over 3.2 innings.

Kiwoom struck first in the top of the second. Leadoff hitter Choi battled White for a 12-pitch at-bat before lining a single into left. After Park Joo-hong struck out, Eo’s hit and Kim Dong-heon’s walk loaded the bases with one out. Oh Sun-jin followed with a two-run RBI single to put Kiwoom up 2-0.

Kiwoom kept control. In the third, with one out, Choi turned on White’s fifth pitch — a 145 km/h cutter (about 90.1 mph) — and drove it over the right-center wall for a solo shot. In the fourth, with one out and a runner on second, Lee Joo-hyung doubled and Im Ji-yeol added an RBI single to push the lead to 5-0.

SSG wasted a scoring chance in the bottom of the fourth. Leadoff hitter Ko Myung-jun singled to left-center and moved to second on Kim Sung-wook’s grounder, but O Tae-gon grounded out to short and Choi Ji-hoon flew out to right to end the threat.

Kiwoom put the game away in the sixth. With two outs and a runner on first, Choi and Park drew consecutive walks to load the bases. Eo then drove a two-run single to center off Jeon Young-joon’s seventh pitch, a 144 km/h fastball (about 89.5 mph), making it 7-0.

SSG left another opportunity on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Leadoff hitter Eredia singled off reliever Yoon Seok-won, and Kim Jae-hwan followed with a single to center to put runners on first and second with no outs. But Ko Myung-jun hit into an infield double play and Kim Sung-wook grounded out, and the inning ended without a run.

Kiwoom added an insurance run in the seventh. Leadoff hitter Kim Tae-jin singled off reliever Lee Ro-woon. After Park Han-gyeol popped to right and Lee Joo-hyung struck out, Brooks drew a walk on a full count to keep the rally alive. Im Ji-yeol’s infield single brought home Kim Tae-jin and extended the lead to 8-0.

Kiwoom added one more in the ninth after an SSG error with two outs and runners on second and third. In the bottom of the ninth, Kiwoom turned to closer Cho Young-geon, who retired Im Geun-woo, Moon Sang-jun and Choi Jun-woo in order to finish the 9-0 shutout.

[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
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