Why did they remove the batter who hit a dramatic two-run home run to tie the game in the bottom of the 8th inning during the extra innings clash?

On the 21st, the LG Twins faced off against the Lotte Giants in the fourth match of the season at Sajik Stadium in Busan. This was indeed the essence of the 'El롯라시코.' The previous day's 17-9 slugfest was just a preview.

The ending of the 3-hour and 56-minute battle was a tie in the 11th inning. LG and Lotte ended the match at 7-7, unable to determine the winner. They tied four times at 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, and 7-7. LG recorded 13 hits and 6 walks, while Lotte recorded 15 hits, 5 walks, and 1 hit by pitch.

Lotte fell behind 0-3 with two home runs allowed by starter Na Kyun-an by the end of the 2nd inning. In the bottom of the 2nd with one out and runners at second base, Na Seung-yeop and Yoon Dong-hee hit back-to-back singles to pull one run closer, and Jeong Bo-geun's RBI double brought them to 3-2.

In a bases loaded opportunity with no outs in the 4th inning, Jeong Bo-geun's double play tied the game, and Jang Du-sung's RBI single turned the score to 4-3 in favor of Lotte. They exchanged one run each in the 5th inning, and in the top of the 6th, LG's Lee Young-bin hit a solo home run to tie the game at 5-5. In the top of the 7th, the setup man Jeong Cheol-won allowed 2 runs, putting them behind 5-7.

In the bottom of the 8th with two outs and a runner on first, Ko Seung-min hit a two-run home run over the right field wall against LG's setup man Kim Jin-sung. At a moment when defeat seemed imminent, it was a dramatic tying shot. Sajik Stadium became a cauldron of excitement.

In the top of the 9th, Lotte's pitcher Kim Won-jung and LG's pitcher Park Myung-geun both held their opponents scoreless.

However, in the top of the 10th inning, Lotte replaced Ko Seung-min with Lee Ho-jun at second base. Ko Seung-min wasn't dealing with lingering injuries. It seemed to be a defensive enhancement. In the bottom of the 10th, Lotte's turn began with the 9th batter. The 2nd batter Ko Seung-min was due for a turn in the lineup.

Despite this, they replaced Ko Seung-min, who had hit the dramatic tying home run. In extra innings, the probability of scoring increases significantly when a long ball (home run) is hit. Ko Seung-min had been on fire recently, batting .432 (16 hits in 37 at-bats) over the last 10 games. His season batting average was also over .310.

Left-handed Ko Seung-min has a batting average of .317 against left-handed pitchers, which is higher than his average of .291 against right-handed pitchers. Perhaps Lotte's manager Kim Tae-hyung emphasized defense to avoid runs instead of focusing on offense.

In the bottom of the 10th, Lotte's offense faced LG's left-handed pitcher Lee Woo-chan. Yoo Kang-nam struck out, and Jang Du-sung also struck out. After two outs, Lee Ho-jun, who came in to replace Ko Seung-min, got on base with a walk, but Reyes was out on a ground ball. The game ultimately ended in a tie in the 11th inning.

Lotte's relief pitcher Choi Jun-yong held the opponent scoreless in the top of the 10th. He allowed the leadoff batter Moon Seong-joo to reach base on a walk. After one out, the runner on first attempted to steal second base while Austin was at the plate. Catcher Yoo Kang-nam's throw to second was high and to the left, but second baseman Lee Ho-jun caught it and quickly tagged the runner out. LG requested a video review, but the call on the field was upheld. It was a close call. Choi Jun-yong prevented any runs. One wonders what might have happened if Ko Seung-min had been the second baseman.

Even if Ko Seung-min had stepped to the plate, there’s no guarantee he would hit a long ball. However, it remains disappointing to have removed a batter who could dominate after hitting the tying home run. The attempted steals by Yoo Kang-nam and Lee Ho-jun in the top of the 10th reflected manager Kim Tae-hyung's intention to emphasize defense.

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