The charismatic Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung comforted the players struggling in the bullpen.
The Lotte Giants of the Korea Professional Baseball League won 8-5 against the KT Wiz in the fourth match of the season at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 10th.
Lotte has recorded 23 wins, 1 draw, and 16 losses this season, riding a three-game winning streak and four consecutive road victories.
Starting pitcher Na Gyun-an allowed 8 hits (2 home runs), 1 walk, 1 strikeout, and 5 runs over 71 pitches, failing to secure his first win again, but the bullpen showed impressive performances.
Kim Kang-hyun (1⅓ innings, no runs) - Jeong Hyun-soo (⅔ innings, no runs) - Kim Sang-soo (⅔ innings, no runs) - Han Hyun-hee (⅓ innings, no runs) - Song Jae-young (0 innings, no runs) - Jeong Cheol-won (1⅔ innings, no runs) - Kim Won-jung (1⅓ innings, no runs) followed up, with Kim Kang-hyun earning his first career win, and Kim Won-jung achieving the KBO League's 5th consecutive season with double-digit saves.
In the batting lineup, seven playersincluding Yoon Dong-hee, Go Seung-min, Victor RAY, Jeon Jun-woo, Son Ho-young, Yoo Gang-nam, and Jang Du-seong had multi-hit games. After trailing 4-5, Go Seung-min hit a game-tying solo home run for his first homer of the season in the 5th inning, followed by Son Ho-young with the go-ahead hit, and Jang Du-seong and Lee Ho-jun adding crucial RBIs.
After the game, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung said, "I appreciate the players for not losing concentration despite the cold weather and doing their best." He added, "In particular, I feel sorry for Jeong Cheol-won and Kim Won-jung for stepping up responsibly in difficult situations. Thank you for pitching so well without complaint."
He continued, "I also want to commend the batters for keeping up well even after giving up early runs."
Lotte will face KT in a doubleheader at the same venue on the 11th. The first match is set to feature a pitching matchup between Park Se-woong (Lotte) and William Cuevas (KT).
[OSEN]