Wiz break through against Avila to tighten grip on first

The KT Wiz tightened their hold on the KBO's top spot Tuesday by breaking through against Pedro Avila, one of the league's most dominant pitchers.

KT extended its winning streak to three games with an 8-2 victory over SSG in Incheon on Tuesday. The Wiz remained three-and-a-half games ahead of the second-place Samsung Lions and improved to 8 wins, 7 losses and a tie against SSG this season. The seventh-place Landers saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.

SSG started Avila, who joined the club as a replacement player in mid-July and has been dominant ever since. The pitcher has maintained an ERA in the 1.00s.

In Tuesday’s game, KT also struggled to get to Avila early and trailed 2-1 through six innings.

However, the Wiz finally broke through in the top of the seventh. With runners at the corners and one out, Kwon Dong-jin delivered an RBI single to tie the game before Kim Min-hyuck followed with a go-ahead RBI single that knocked Avila out of the game.

KT hitter Sam Hilliard put the game away in the top of the ninth. With the Wiz leading 4-2, Hilliard launched a 130-meter (426-foot) grand slam to center field with two outs, stretching the lead to six runs.

It was Hilliard’s 38th home run of the season and the third grand slam of his career. The grand slam brought Hilliard within two home runs of league leader Kim Do-yeong of the Kia Tigers, who has 40, and one behind Austin Dean of the LG Twins, who has 39.

Avila took his second loss of the season despite a strong outing. He allowed three runs on six hits and struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings.

Elsewhere, the Samsung Lions beat the NC Dinos 8-5 at home in Daegu. The Lions scored five runs on three homers, a two-run shot by Kang Min-ho in the second inning, a solo homer by Koo Ja-wook in the third and a two-run blast by Lewin Diaz in the eighth.

Sixth-place NC lost its eighth straight game and fell six-and-a-half games behind the fifth-place Doosan Bears.

The Lotte Giants cruised to a 7-0 victory over the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon for their fourth straight win. Five of Lotte’s seven runs came on home runs: a two-run shot by Na Seung-yeup and a solo homer by Han Dong-hui in the third inning, followed by a two-run homer from Son Seong-bin in the sixth.

Lotte starter Jeremy Beasley struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings to earn his 10th win of the season against seven losses. Hanwha dropped its eighth straight game.

The Doosan Bears beat the last-place Kiwoom Heroes 5-3 on the road at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul. Starter Wesley Benjamin of the Bears struck out 10 and allowed one run over six innings to improve to 7 wins and 7 losses. Kiwoom lost its sixth straight game.