SEOUL (Interstat) — The Kiwoom Heroes staged a late-inning comeback Friday night, rallying for two runs in the eighth inning to defeat the Doosan Bears 6-5 at Gocheok Sky Dome.

A crowd of 13,796 watched the Heroes improve to 29-53-2, while the Bears fell to 40-40-2. Kiwoom reliever Kanakubo Yuto earned the win, his fifth against four losses, by tossing a scoreless eighth inning. Doosan starter Kim Taek-yeon took the loss, dropping to 0-2. Won Jong-hyan recorded his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth.

The game featured a back-and-forth battle, with Doosan taking the lead in the fifth and seventh innings before Kiwoom answered each time, finally securing the victory in the bottom of the eighth.

Kiwoom starter Ha Yeong-min turned in a solid outing, allowing three earned runs on four hits over six innings while striking out four. He retired the first 12 batters he faced, facing the minimum through four innings. Doosan left-hander Zach Logue matched him for five innings, permitting two runs on five hits with three strikeouts.

The Heroes struck first in the bottom of the first. Seo Geon-chang singled to right field and advanced to second on a throwing error by center fielder Jung Soo-bin. After a strikeout and a single by Cho Won-tae, Keston Hiura lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Seo for a 1-0 lead.

Both starting pitchers settled into a rhythm, with Ha retiring nine straight from the second through fourth innings. The Bears broke through in the top of the fifth. Park Chan-ho singled down the left-field line and stole second. Jung Soo-bin then singled in front of right fielder, with Park taking third. An Jae-seok tripled to right-center, scoring both runners and giving Doosan a 2-1 lead. Kang Seung-ho followed with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring An and extending the lead to 3-1.

Kiwoom responded in the bottom of the fifth. Yeo Dong-uk walked, and Kim Dong-heon doubled down the left-field line, putting runners at second and third. Gwon Hyuk-bin walked to load the bases. Seo Geon-chang grounded into a double play, but Yeo scored on the play and Gwon advanced to second while Kim moved to third. An Chi-hong then singled to left-center, driving in Gwon and Kim to tie the game at 3-3.

The game remained tied until the top of the seventh. With one out, Jung Soo-bin drew a walk. An Jae-seok struck out, but Kang Seung-ho crushed a home run to right field, his first of the night, giving the Bears a 5-3 lead.

Kiwoom chipped away in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Cho Won-tae walked. Hiura struck out, but Park Chan-hyeok reached on a dropped third strike that also involved an error by third baseman An Jae-seok, allowing Cho to advance to third. However, the inning ended without a run.

The Heroes took control in the bottom of the eighth. Yeo Dong-uk led off with a single in front of right fielder. Kim Dong-heon sacrificed him to second. Gwon Hyuk-bin then doubled to right-center, scoring Yeo and cutting the deficit to 5-4. Seo Geon-chang singled to right, moving pinch runner Choi Jae-young to third. An Chi-hong followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Choi and giving Kiwoom a 6-5 lead.

Won Jong-hyan worked a perfect ninth, allowing two hits but no runs, striking out one to secure the victory.

The most critical sequence of the game occurred in the bottom of the eighth, where the Heroes executed a textbook rally: a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt, a run-scoring double, a single, and a sacrifice fly. The inning turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead, and Doosan could not answer in the top of the ninth.

For Doosan, Zach Logue gave the Bears a chance to win, while Kang Seung-ho provided the power with a three-run homer. But the bullpen could not hold the lead. Kim Taek-yeon, who entered in the eighth, allowed both runs on three hits without recording an out.

For Kiwoom, Ha Yeong-min’s quality start kept the game close, setting the stage for the bullpen. Kanakubo Yuto struck out one in a clean eighth, and Won Jong-hyan closed the door. Kim Dong-heon collected two hits and drove in a run, while An Chi-hong knocked in three runs, including the game-winner on a sacrifice fly.

The win was a rare bright spot for the Heroes, who had lost five of their previous six games, including a 7-5 defeat to LG on Thursday. Doosan had won three of its previous four, including an 8-3 victory over Lotte on Thursday.

The two teams continue their series Saturday and Sunday at Gocheok Sky Dome before Doosan returns home to face Shinsegae Landers next week. Kiwoom travels to face KT Wiz after the weekend.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Doosan Bears 4, Kiwoom Heroes 2. Interstat’s ELO system had given Doosan a 62.40 percent probability to win. Doosan had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus-1.5. The total score of 11 went under the over-under line of 7.0.