The professional baseball Doosan Bears broke a 17-game losing streak on Sunday after a hard-fought battle.
Under manager Lee Seung-yup, Doosan achieved a dramatic comeback, winning 15-12 against the Lotte Giants in a 4-hour 52-minute game held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 6th.
As a result, Doosan ended its 17-game losing streak on Sundays, which had continued since May 26, 2024, against KIA (2-5). Although they had already set a record for the most consecutive losses on a specific day of the week, they managed to prevent any further losses. Doosan's last Sunday win was against KT on May 12, 2024, where they won both games of a doubleheader.
That day, Doosan's starting pitcher Kim Yoo-sung struggled, foreshadowing a difficult game. However, manager Lee Seung-yup and the bench declared a total war effort, activating the bullpen from the beginning. Kim Yoo-sung exited after 1⅓ innings with 3 hits allowed, 3 walks, and 5 runs scored. Afterward, pitchers Kim Myung-sin, Park Chi-kuk, Kim Ho-jun, Park Jung-soo, Lee Young-ha, and Lee Byung-heon were brought in continuously in an attempt to shut down the Lotte batting lineup.
Although Kim Yoo-sung gave up the initial score, the batters continued to pressure Lotte until the end. Trailing 0-5, they recovered 3 runs in the third inning with 5 consecutive hits from Jeong Soo-bin, Yang Eui-ji, Yang Seok-hwan, Kang Seung-ho, and Kim Gi-yeon. In the following fourth inning, with contributions from Yang Eui-ji, Yang Seok-hwan, and Kang Seung-ho, they turned the score around to 6-5.
The mound continued to yield runs to Lotte. In the seventh inning, Lotte's Kim Min-seong hit a three-run home run, making the score 7-12, and it seemed that defeat was imminent. However, Doosan's lineup did not give up despite the 5-run gap. Ultimately, they sealed the comeback with a two-run home run from Yang Seok-hwan in the eighth inning, completing a big inning with 7 runs.
Furthermore, closer Kim Tae-kyun entered in the eighth inning with one out and a runner on first base, successfully achieving a 5-out save and putting an end to the losing streak.
On this day, manager Lee Seung-yup was ejected after protesting a video review related to a home collision violation in the fifth inning. It was his first ejection of the season. This ejection seemed to send a strong message to the players and appeared to ease manager Lee Seung-yup's mind.
After the game, manager Lee Seung-yup noted, "It was a day where I confirmed the players' determination to break the losing streak. Even though we faced tough situations, including giving up the first score, the entire team came together, overcoming several challenges to secure victory," and expressed gratitude to the fans for their support despite the chilly weather, stating, "Thanks to them, the players maintained their focus until the end."
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