After going back and forth between heaven and hell in the first game of the series, KIA Tigers’ foreign-born outfielder Socrates Brito contributed to the team’s victory with his offense and defense.
KIA extended its winning streak to seven games with a 12-4 victory in the 12th game of the regular season against the SSG Landers of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Aug. 2. Kia’s seven-game winning streak is 753 days since its last win against the Gwangju Hanwha Eagles on August 10, 2021.
Every player contributed. Starting pitcher Yoon Young-chul earned his eighth win of the season with five innings of seven-hit ball (one home run), five strikeouts and three runs, while second baseman Lim Ki-young kept the opposition at bay with 1⅔ innings of one-hit ball and one strikeout.
At the plate, five players had multi-hit games, including Na Sung-beom. Socrates was one of them, batting fifth and starting in left field, going 2-for-3 with a double, three RBIs, one walk and two runs scored.
Socrates, who also had a multi-hit game the previous day, including a home run, was responsible for an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth inning when he failed to catch Choi Ji-hoon’s fly ball with runners on second and third in a 6-0 lead. KIA’s 10-2 victory was not complete in terms of content, and KIA head coach Kim Jong-kook asked his players to improve their defense and focus before the second game.
Socrates took the pressure off after just one game, making a sliding catch of leadoff hitter Guillermo Heredia in the second inning and a jumping catch of Choo Shin-soo’s long hit in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Socrates continued his strong play at the plate. After getting one RBI with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, he followed it up with a two-RBI double in the top of the seventh inning to give his team a 4-3 lead and pull away from SSG. Coach Kim Jong-guk praised Socrates’ performance, saying, “When we needed extra runs, Socrates came through with a two-run double to get us back in the game.”안전놀이터
After the game, Socrates said, “The whole team did a great job, and I haven’t been hitting too badly lately, so focusing on scoring opportunities paid off.” “I’m doubly happy that I was able to come up with the big hit when the team needed an extra run and keep the team’s winning streak going,” he said.
The Socrates ranked in the top half of several offensive metrics, including tied for third in RBI, tied for fourth in runs scored, fifth in on-base percentage, sixth in home runs, and seventh in total bases. He has already tied his home run total from last year (17). “I’m going to try to keep the good vibes going for a long time. My hope is that the team will advance to fall baseball, and I will play the remaining games with that in mind,” he said. “I am very grateful that so many fans have come to the ballpark to support us, and I will do my best to repay them with a great performance every game.”