The Lotte Giants had never experienced a four-game losing streak before. This victory was achieved thanks to the efforts of the winning pitchers, including Jeong Cheol-won and Kim Won-jung.
Under the leadership of manager Kim Tae-hyoung, Lotte secured a narrow 6-5 victory against the SSG Landers in the regular season of professional baseball at Busan's Sajik Stadium on the 30th. This win allowed Lotte to escape a three-game losing streak, marking their season record at 31 wins, 23 losses, and 3 ties.
On this day, Lotte's most reliable starter, Tucker Davidson, took the mound. However, Davidson struggled, unable to find his rhythm and encountering many full-count situations. Over 5 innings, he threw 99 pitches, allowed 6 hits, and achieved 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs before leaving the mound. However, the batting lineup showed cohesion, and with the support of the relief pitchers, Lotte secured the victory.
The game unfolded as a tight contest with 2 or fewer runs scored per inning. Taking advantage of a shaky first inning from SSG's foreign ace, Mitch White, Lotte scored first on an opponent’s error and a bases-loaded walk. Although they allowed 2 runs from Chae Hyun-woo in the second inning, Go Seung-min's game-tying double in the third inning made the game closely contested.
In the fifth inning, an error led to runs being scored despite a situation where they could have held SSG scoreless. However, in the bottom of the fifth, Lotte regained the lead thanks to consecutive RBIs from Yoon Dong-hee and Jeon Jun-woo. Following a back-and-forth game, Lotte fell behind 5-4 again with 2 runs given up in the top of the seventh. However, they regained the lead 6-5 with 2 runs scored off another opponent error in the seventh. In the 7th, with 1 out and runners on second and third, Jeong Cheol-won came to the mound and allowed a run on a inherited runner but ended the inning with no further runs, leaving the score at 4-5, helping the batting lineup succeed in the comeback. In the eighth inning, after allowing consecutive hits to Oh Tae-gon and Choi Joon-woo, Lotte found themselves in a no-out first and second base crisis. Still, Jeong Jun-jae forced a double play at second and struck out Ahn Sang-hyun to overcome the crisis. Jeong Cheol-won's roar overwhelmed Sajik Stadium.
In the end, closer Kim Won-jung came in during the 9th inning to seal the game, completing the escape from a three-game losing streak.
After the game, manager Kim Tae-hyoung noted, "In a tight situation with a tie and a one-run difference, the players maintained their focus until the end and could achieve the victory. Jeong Cheol-won pitched well in the difficult situation in the 7th and 8th innings, and closer Kim Won-jung did a great job to secure the win," praising the relief pitchers. He added, "I also want to thank the fans for their enthusiastic support in a full stadium."
Having escaped the losing streak, Lotte announced Na Gyun-an as the starting pitcher for the 31st. SSG will have Jeon Young-jun on the mound.
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