Wyverns Strike Back to Win 9-1

Right-handed Michael Romano of the SK Wyverns reacts Thursday after getting out the No. 9 batter Min Byung-hyun of the Doosan Bears in Game 2 of the Korean Series in Seoul. The 35-year-old allowed one run in six innings, and the Wyverns won 9-1. / Yonhap

By Jonathan Sanfilippo

Staff Reporter

The SK Wyverns aren't going to quit just yet.

With their chances of winning the championship in jeopardy after losing the first two games of the Korean Series, the Wyverns battled back. They pounded out 16 hits and got six strong innings of pitching from Michael Romano in Game 3 of the Series to beat the Doosan Bears 9-1 on a rainy Thursday night at Chamsil Stadium.

With the win, SK cut the Bears' lead in the Series to 2-1, as the teams prepare to play Game 4 at 6 p.m. tonight.

The Wyverns, who advanced to the Series by compiling the best record in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) during the regular season, had several players contribute to their win on Thursday. Romano, making his first Korean postseason start, pitched six innings, allowing just one run and four hits. Jeung Keun-woo, Cho Dong-hwa, Kim Jae-hyun, Park Jae-hong and Chung Kyoung-bae provided SK with two hits apiece

SK built an early lead by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Jeung started that rally with a leadoff single. Kim, who was left out of the Wyverns' lineup during the first two games of the Series, crushed a double to drive in Jeung with one out. Then Park hit an infield single that scored Kim with two outs to give SK a 2-0 lead at the end of the inning

The Wyverns added seven more runs in the sixth, thanks largely to Bears shortstop Lee Dae-soo, who committed three errors in the inning. Choi Jeong hit a groundball with one out that was mishandled by Lee, enabling one run to score. Park Kyung-oan followed with a two-run double. Then when Cho hit a popup, Lee dropped the ball for what was scored a hit and made a wild throw into foul territory, allowing two more runs to score. SK plated another two runs when Jeung and Cho scored on a wild pitch from Doosan reliever Lee Hei-chun with still one out to make it 9-0

Tempers flared when Lee threw a pitch inside to the next batter, Kim, causing players from both teams to run onto the field yelling and shoving each other. Lee was ejected for his role in the incident.