The professional baseball team Lotte Giants defeated the LG Twins to rise to sole second place.
Lotte won 11-4 against LG in the fifth match of the 2025 KBO League held on the 22nd at Sajik Stadium.
Lotte starting pitcher Lee Min-seok recorded 5 innings, giving up 6 hits, 2 home runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout, and 4 earned runs. Lee Min-seok, who joined Lotte with the first pick in the 2022 draft, achieved his first win as a starter.
Leadoff hitter Jang Du-sung contributed with a game-winning hit, going 1-for-3 with 3 RBIs. Cleanup hitter Jeon Jun-woo went 3-for-4 with 1 RBI and 1 run, Yun Dong-hee had 2 hits and 1 RBI in 4 at-bats with 1 run, and Jeon Min-jae had 2 hits and 2 RBIs in 4 at-bats with 1 run.
LG starting pitcher Coen Wynne allowed 7 runs (6 earned) in 3⅓ innings, giving up 8 hits, 2 walks, and 2 hit batsmen.
LG started Moon Sung-ju (left fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), Austin (designated hitter), Park Dong-won (catcher), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Gu Bon-hyeok (third baseman), Song Chan-ui (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), and Lee Young-bin (second baseman).
Lotte started Jang Du-sung (center fielder), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), Reyes (left fielder), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Yun Dong-hee (right fielder), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Yoo Gang-nam (catcher), and Son Ho-young (third baseman).
Lotte scored first in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Jang Du-sung and second hitter Ko Seung-min each walked consecutively to reach base. Reyes's ground out to second base resulted in 1 out with runners on first and third. Jeon Jun-woo hit a timely single to left field that bounced past the third baseman, scoring the first run.
Following that, Na Seung-yeop's ground ball to first base resulted in an error by the first baseman, leading to bases loaded with 1 out. Yun Dong-hee popped out to the shortstop but Jeon Min-jae hit a timely single to right field, driving in a run. Lotte took a 2-0 lead.
LG turned the game around in the top of the third inning while trailing 0-2. Leadoff hitter Lee Young-bin reached base with a single to right field, followed by Moon Sung-ju hitting a single to center field, creating a no-out chance with runners on first and second. Kim Hyun-soo was out on a pop-up to center field, but the runner on second tagged up and advanced to third.
Austin pulled a slider from Lee Min-seok (141km) and hit a three-run homer over the left wall, marking his 13th home run of the season, giving LG a quick 3-2 lead.
Lotte regained the lead in the bottom of the third inning. Leadoff hitter Jeon Jun-woo reached base due to an error by the shortstop. During Na Seung-yeop's pop-up to center field, the runner on first attempted to tag up to second base but was tagged out due to a precise throw from the center fielder.
With 2 outs, Yun Dong-hee hit a single to right field, and Jeon Min-jae reached with a single to left field. Yoo Gang-nam got a hit by pitch to load the bases. Son Ho-young drew a hit by pitch, driving in a run to tie the game at 3-3. Jang Du-sung hit a timely single to center field that narrowly skipped past the second base bag, driving in 2 runs. Lotte pulled ahead 5-3.
Lotte added to their score in the fourth inning. Leadoff hitter Reyes hit a single to center field, and Jeon Jun-woo hit a double that struck the right field fence, creating a no-out opportunity with runners on second and third. Na Seung-yeop was out on a ground ball to the shortstop.
LG replaced starter Coen Wynne with Baek Seung-hyeon as the second pitcher. Yun Dong-hee hit a timely single to right field, adding another run. Following that, during Jeon Min-jae's ground ball to third base, 3rd base runner Jeon Jun-woo scored due to a quick baserunning play on a throw to first base by the third baseman, extending the lead to 7-3.
In the sixth inning, LG's leadoff batter Oh Ji-hwan hit a solo home run over the right wall off a 148km fastball from Lee Min-seok. It was his sixth home run of the season, bringing the score to 4-7.
Lotte replaced starting pitcher Lee Min-seok with Kim Sang-soo as a relief pitcher. Gu Bon-hyeok hit a double down the left field line to reach base. After 1 out, Lee Ju-heon reached base due to a hit by pitch. During Lee Young-bin's at-bat, the runner on second Gu Bon-hyeok successfully stole third base. However, Lee Young-bin struck out, and Moon Sung-ju was out on a pop-up to the left fielder, missing a scoring opportunity.
Lotte's Jeong Hyun-soo struck out both Kim Hyun-soo and Austin in succession in the seventh inning. Although he allowed a single to Shin Min-jae, he closed the inning by getting Oh Ji-hwan to pop up to center field without allowing a run. In the eighth inning, Jung Cheol-won came in and ended the inning in favor of Lotte with just 6 pitches, retiring Gu Bon-hyeok on a fly out to right field, Song Chan-ui on a fly out to center field, and Lee Ju-heon on a ground ball to second base.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, with 1 out, Jeon Jun-woo's hit, followed by consecutive walks from Yun Dong-hee and Jeon Min-jae with 1 out and runners on first, loaded the bases. Lee Ho-jun's timely hit to center field drove in 2 runs, extending the lead to 10-4. Son Ho-young added a run with a timely single to left field, making it 11-4.
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