The Lotte Giants in professional baseball thwarted Hanwha Eagles' challenge for a 9-game winning streak.

Under manager Kim Tae-hyung, Lotte came from behind to earn a 5-3 victory against Hanwha in a match held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 24th. By doing so, Lotte marked their season record at 14 wins and 12 losses, stopping Hanwha's 9-game winning streak.

On this day, Lotte's starting pitcher Park Se-woong had to take the mound bearing the burden of a poor track record against Hanwha. Park Se-woong has recorded 1 win and 10 losses with an earned run average of 7.56 over 19 games (18 starts) against Hanwha.

As expected, Park Se-woong struggled in the 2nd inning. He allowed a single to Noh Si-hwan and walks to Chae Eun-sung and Lee Jin-young, putting him in a bases-loaded crisis without an out. He struck out Im Jong-chan and got Choi Jae-hoon to pop out to the second baseman, but then allowed a ground ball single to third baseman Shin Woo-jun, giving up a run. He also yielded a 2-run single to Ahn Chi-hong, falling behind 0-3.

Lotte struggled against the precise pitching of Hanwha's starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin. However, in the bottom of the 4th inning, lead-off batter Yoon Dong-hee hit a solo home run to score a run, initiating a comeback. In the crucial 6th inning, consecutive hits by Hwang Seong-bin and Yoon Dong-hee and a sacrifice bunt by Ko Seung-min set up a 1 out, 2nd and 3rd base opportunity.

At this point, Hanwha intentionally walked Reyes to load the bases and preferred to face Na Seung-yeob. However, Na Seung-yeob went against Hanwha's plan. With a 2-run single that slipped past first base, he tied the game at 3-3. With 1 out and runners on 1st and 3rd, Jeon Joon-woo added another run with a ground ball to the shortstop, giving Lotte a 4-3 lead.

Park Se-woong endured until the 6th inning, having thrown 108 pitches with 4 hits, 4 walks, 1 hit batter, 9 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs. Ultimately, Park Se-woong qualified for the win, and from the 7th inning on, Kim Sang-soo, Jung Hyun-soo, Jeong Cheol-won, and Kim Won-jung combined to secure the comeback victory.

After the game, manager Kim Tae-hyung noted, "Although we gave up 3 runs early, Park Se-woong did well as a starting pitcher by throwing responsibly until the 6th inning."

He added, "The players concentrated in crucial situations, allowing us to make a comeback, and Jeong Cheol-won and Kim Won-jung did well in keeping the game secure, enabling us to take the win."

Finally, he expressed gratitude to the home fans, who filled the stadium with 22,669 seats sold, saying, "I appreciate the spectators who visited the ballpark on a weekday."

Lotte will travel to Jamsil from the 25th to the 27th to play a three-game series against the Doosan Bears. Lotte's Tucker Davidson will be the starting pitcher.

[OSEN]