Nexen beats Doosan to stay alive in KBO postseason
Nexen Heroes starter Andy Van Hekken throws a pitch during a 5-2 win over the Doosan Bears in their playoff game at the Mokdong Stadium, Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap
The Nexen Heroes defeated the Doosan Bears 5-2 on Tuesday to stay alive in their ongoing Korean baseball playoff round.
Starter Andy Van Hekken struck out 10 in 7 2/3 effective innings at home, Mokdong Stadium in Seoul, and the Heroes launched two solo home runs to force Game 4 on Wednesday at the same place in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason.
Seo Geon-chang took Doosan starter Yoo Hee-kwan over the center field for a solo shot in the third inning, his first career postseason home run coming in his 74th at-bat.
Rookie Kim Ha-seong doubled the lead with a solo homer of his own in the fourth, sending Yoo's 1-1 changeup over right-center.
The Heroes added a third run on a sacrifice fly by Kim Min-sung in the fifth and tagged on two more runs in the seventh on back-to-back doubles by Yoo Han-joon and Kim Min-sung.
That was more than enough run support for Van Hekken. The American left-hander kept the Bears at bay through the first seven innings, needing only 77 pitches, before allowing a pair of runs in the top of the eighth and leaving the game with two outs in the frame.
Deibinson Romero drove in Doosan's first run with a double to left, and Jung Soo-bin followed up with an RBI single to make it a 5-2 game.
Relieving Van Hekken, right-hander Cho Sang-woo struck out Hur Kyoung-min with two on. The Bears had the tying run at the plate with two outs in the ninth, but Cho retired Jang Min-seok on a grounder to close out the game.
While Van Hekken was a model of efficiency, Yoo was the exact opposite. An 18-game winner during the regular season, Yoo was lifted after giving up a leadoff single in the fifth, having allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks on 92 pitches.
The Bears needed five pitchers to finish the game. (Yonhap)