The Lotte Giants of the Korea Professional Baseball League completed a dramatic comeback by 5 points.
On the 17th at Busan's Sajik Baseball Stadium, Lotte won the first game of a doubleheader against the Samsung Lions in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League regular season, with a final score of 7-5. With this victory, Lotte marked 26 wins, 18 losses, and 2 ties without any consecutive losses. Samsung remained at 21 wins, 23 losses, and 1 tie after its shocking comeback loss. The gap between 3rd place Lotte and 4th place Samsung widened to 5 games.
Samsung established its starting lineup with Ku Ja-wook (designated hitter), Kim Sung-yoon (center fielder), Kang Min-ho (catcher), Diaz (first baseman), Kim Young-woong (third baseman), Ryu Ji-hyuk (second baseman), Kim Hun-gon (left fielder), Lee Sung-kyu (right fielder), and Lee Jae-hyun (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Denny Reyes.
Lotte established its starting lineup with Jang Du-seong (center fielder), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), Reyes (left fielder), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Na Seung-yeob (first baseman), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Yoo Gang-nam (catcher), Son Ho-young (third baseman), and Lee Ho-jun (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Park Se-woong.
Samsung seized a chance in the first inning with one out, when Kim Sung-yoon hit a double to right field after deflecting off the second baseman, followed by a single from Kang Min-ho and a walk from Diaz to load the bases. However, Kim Young-woong struck out on the third pitch, and Ryu Ji-hyuk hit a line drive to first base, squandering the opportunity.
However, starting from the second inning, Samsung began to build up its score methodically. The lead-off batter Kim Hun-gon got on base with a hit by pitch. Although Lee Sung-kyu struck out, Lee Jae-hyun connected with a single to right field, creating a chance with one out and runners on first and third. The upper lineup followed, and Ku Ja-wook delivered a timely double to left field, successfully scoring the first run.
In the continued opportunity with one out and runners on second and third, Kim Sung-yoon hit a two-run single to right field, extending the lead to 3-0. The opportunity continued with one out and a runner on second, as Kang Min-ho earned a walk, allowing Kim Sung-yoon to successfully steal third base, maintaining the chance with one out and runners on first and third. However, Diaz grounded out to the first baseman, resulting in the third base runner being caught in a rundown, and Kim Young-woong also struck out, failing to add more runs.
In the top of the third inning, Samsung's lead-off batter Ryu Ji-hyuk hit a single to center field, and Kim Hun-gon’s sacrifice bunt created an opportunity with one out and a runner on second. Lee Sung-kyu easily added another run with a timely double to left field. In the fifth inning, with Ryu Ji-hyuk hitting a double that cleared the right fielder's head, Samsung created another opportunity, and with Kim Hun-gon’s sacrifice bunt, they managed to score again with one out and a runner on third, extending the gap to 5-0.
In the top of the sixth inning, Samsung seized an opportunity with a hard-hit double by Ku Ja-wook and a bunt single from Kim Sung-yoon, creating a no outs on first and third scenario, further solidifying their lead. However, Kang Min-ho struck out on three pitches, and Diaz grounded into a double play, squandering the chance to score again.
Then, Lotte's counterattack began. In the bottom of the sixth inning, lead-off batters Jang Du-seong and Ko Seung-min made consecutive hits, creating a no outs on first and third opportunity. Reyes then smashed a three-run home run on the first strike, knocking a high cutter from Samsung's starting pitcher Reyes at 137 km/h. It was consecutive home runs for two days. The score was narrowed to 3-5.
Afterward, Jeon Jun-woo hit a double that cleared the center fielder, and Jeong Hoon's infield single kept the opportunity alive with no outs on first and third. The error on Yoon Dong-hee's grounder to shortstop allowed Lotte to score one more run, continuing with no outs and runners on first and second. Yoo Gang-nam walked on a straight ball, giving Lotte a chance to load the bases with no outs.
Son Ho-young grounded out to the first baseman, allowing the runner on third to be tagged out at home, but with the bases loaded and one out, pinch-hitter Jeon Min-jae delivered a sacrifice fly to right field, leveling the score at 5-5. However, with two outs and runners on first and second, Jang Du-seong struck out, failing to add any more runs.
Both Samsung and Lotte got opportunities in the seventh inning but failed to score. In the top of the seventh, Samsung loaded the bases with a walk from pinch-hitter Park Byung-ho, Ryu Ji-hyuk's sacrifice bunt, and Kim Hun-gon's walk, creating a one out and runners on first and second scenario. However, I Seung-kyu's line drive was caught by Lotte's second baseman Ko Seung-min, leading to a double play and the end of the inning.
Having avoided the scoring threat, in the bottom of the seventh, lead-off batter Ko Seung-min reached base due to an error, followed by Reyes's walk and Jeon Jun-woo's sacrifice bunt which set up a one out opportunity with runners on second and third. However, Jeong Hoon and Yoon Dong-hee both failed to capitalize, keeping the game tight.
However, Lotte turned the game around in the bottom of the eighth inning. After two outs, Jeon Min-jae hit a single to center field, regaining an opportunity. Following that, Jang Du-seong and Ko Seung-min earned consecutive walks, setting up a bases-loaded situation with two outs, and Reyes delivered a game-changing two-run single to the right, completing the comeback from a 5-point deficit.
With Lotte leading 7-5 in the ninth inning, closer Kim Won-jung took the mound and wrapped up the game with three batters. Lotte's Reyes made a significant impact with a three-run shot and a game-winning single after trailing 0-5, contributing five RBIs to complete the comeback.
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