Sam Hilliard Hits 40th, Kwon Dong-jin Wins It as KT Cuts Magic Number to Six

Sam Hilliard hit his 40th home run of the season to erase a late deficit, and Kwon Dong-jin followed with a go-ahead solo shot in the ninth as the KT Wiz beat the KIA Tigers 3-2 on Wednesday night in Gwangju. The comeback gave KBO-leading KT a third straight win and reduced its regular-season championship magic number to six.

KT improved to 83-49-4 and remained three games ahead of the second-place Samsung Lions. Hilliard’s milestone homer also moved him within one of KIA star Kim Do-yeong in a tightening race for the KBO home-run title.

Hilliard reaches 40 with game-tying homer

KT starter Davis Daniel kept KIA scoreless through five innings, but Harold Castro changed the game in the sixth with a two-run homer that put the Tigers ahead 2-0. Daniel completed six innings with 13 strikeouts, giving the Wiz a chance despite the sudden deficit.

Hilliard answered in the seventh. With two outs and Choi Won-jun aboard, the former MLB outfielder drove a two-run homer to center-right to tie the game. It was his 40th of the season and his ninth home run of September.

The milestone continued a remarkable first KBO season for Hilliard. He had 37 homers on September 19, then added two more before Wednesday’s tying swing. His late surge has carried him into direct contention with Kim Do-yeong, who leads the league with 41.

Kwon Dong-jin delivers in the ninth

The score stayed level until Kwon opened the ninth against KIA reliever Jeon Sang-hyun. On a full-count fastball, Kwon drove his third home run of the season over the wall in right-center to give KT its first lead of the night.

Park Young-hyun protected the one-run margin with a perfect bottom of the ninth, needing 11 pitches to earn his 28th save. Son Dong-hyun received the win after the KT bullpen held KIA scoreless following Castro’s homer.

Kim Sang-su added another milestone for the Wiz by recording the 1,800th hit of his KBO career.

KT moves closer to the KBO regular-season title

The victory was KT’s 40th comeback win of the season and its second late rally against KIA in as many nights. The Wiz had tied Tuesday’s game in the ninth before winning 8-5 in 10 innings.

Samsung’s 6-2 victory over Hanwha kept the Lions within three games, but KT now needs a combination of six wins and Samsung losses to secure the KBO’s top regular-season position. The Wiz and Tigers meet again Thursday in Gwangju, with every remaining result carrying direct championship implications.