In the highly anticipated “Moon-Kim Battle,” Moon Dong-joo (Hanwha) won a decision over Kim Do-young (KIA), but the game was tied in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The 12th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League between Hanwha and KIA at the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on June 6 ended in a 4-4 draw after 12 extra innings.

Hanwha starting pitcher Moon Dong-ju threw a fastball up to 159 kilometers, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits with three walks and one strikeout in 5⅔ innings. With the game tied at two in the ninth, he had to put his seventh win of the season on hold, but he held rival Kim Do-young to two hits and a walk. Kim finished 1-for-4 with a walk, a hit and a stolen base after Moon Dong-ju went down.

Hanwha’s “Home Run No. 1” Noh Si-hwan went 3-for-3 with a home run, his 23rd of the season, two RBIs and three walks in his first six at-bats, but it didn’t translate into a win for his team.

Sixth-ranked KIA finished with 44 wins, 43 losses and two ties, while eighth-ranked Hanwha finished with 38 wins, 49 losses and five ties.

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Moon Kim-dae went 2-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout in his first professional at-bat.
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The game was highlighted by the professional debut of Hanwha starting pitcher Moon Dong-ju and KIA infielder Kim Do-young. Moon Dong-joo (Jinheung-go) and Kim Do-young (Dongseong-go), both prospects from the same Gwangju area, were rivals for the first pick in 2022. While KIA chose Kim Do-young for the regional first pick, Moon Dong-ju went to Hanwha, which has the right to the national first pick. The two players, who garnered attention for their epic first-round draft battles, are lifelong rivals despite their different positions.

In high school, they met once in a weekend league (Jeollanam-do) game at Gunsan Wolmyeong Baseball Stadium on May 23, 2021. At the time, Kim Do-young, a first baseman for Dongseong High, went 2-for-3 against Moon Dong-joo, a starter for Jinheung High. He flied out to center field in the first inning, but followed it up with a single up the middle in the third and a bunt single to third base in the fifth. The game ended up being a 6-0 victory for Dongseong Go, with Moon taking the loss after allowing four runs (two earned) in 5⅓ innings.

But Moon laughed about his first professional matchup. In three at-bats on the day, Moon went 2-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout. The first at-bat of the game was a full count. 토토사이트 Moon’s six-pitch curveball was well hit by Kim Do-young, but it went straight to the shortstop. In the fourth inning, he hit a three-pitch 148-kilometer fastball over the right field fence.

In the sixth inning, after a seven-pitch battle, Kim drew a leadoff walk. With the count 2-2, Moon’s sixth pitch was a fastball that sailed completely over the plate. Catcher Choi Jae-hoon failed to catch the ball and it hit the backstop light board. It was the fastest ball thrown against Kim Do-young that day (157 km/h). Moon Dong-joo was conscious of Kim Do-young, so he used a lot of energy and gave up a single with a fastball that was just outside the zone.

After retiring the speedy Kim Do-young at first base, Moon struck out the next batter, Na Sung-bum, on a catcher’s foul fly and retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth inning with a total of 91 pitches. Curveballs centered around fastballs (51) that topped out at 159 mph and averaged 150 mph.