Once a dominant force with the LG Twins and Hanwha Eagles, the Lotte Giants have plummeted to a tie for fourth place after struggling with a record of 2 wins and 8 losses in their last 10 games.

The Lotte Giants lost 2-5 to the Doosan Bears in the 7th game of the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium on the 6th.

Before the game, Lotte received the unfortunate news of injury to their starting outfielder Yoon Dong-hee. While Hwang Seong-bin and Na Seung-yeop were also out due to injury, Yoon Dong-hee suffered a left thigh strain during defense in the game against Kiwoom Heroes on the 5th, and following a hospital examination, he was diagnosed with partial damage to the left rectus femoris muscle. A Lotte official noted, "Yoon Dong-hee is expected to be re-evaluated in two weeks after taking rest."

Yoon Dong-hee was a key hitter in the Lotte lineup, playing in 53 games this season with a batting average of .299, 4 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 34 runs scored, along with an OPS of .802.

Kim Tae-hyoung, who met reporters on the field, said, "There’s nothing we can do. At the beginning, we played some tight games," staving off a sigh, and added, "The remaining spots in the outfield will generally be filled by Hwang Du-seong and Kim Dong-hyeok. Of course, there may be changes if a left-handed pitcher comes out. Go Seung-min will take the position until Na Seung-yeop comes back. Jung Hoon isn't doing well right now either."

Kim Tae-hyoung had no choice but to pull out a Plan B lineup consisting of Kim Dong-hyeok, Go Seung-min, Víctor Reyes, Jeon Jun-woo, Jeon Min-jae, Son Ho-young, Yoo Kang-nam, Han Tae-yang, and Han Seung-hyun. Rookies Kim Tae-yang and Han Seung-hyun were prominently included in the lineup, with rookie Han Seung-hyun receiving his first starting opportunity.

However, concerns became reality. Starting with a defensive error by the shortstop in the top of the first inning, Jeon Jun-woo was hit by a pitch, creating a chance with two outs and runners on first and second, but Jeon Min-jae struck out swinging on the third pitch and failed to capitalize. In the top of the fourth inning, after one out, an error on the throw from the third baseman easily brought another opportunity with one out and a runner on second, but this time Son Ho-young grounded out to the second baseman and Yoo Kang-nam grounded out to the shortstop, remaining silent.

In the top of the seventh inning, leadoff hitter Son Ho-young hit a double to right center off the new pitcher Park Chi-guk, creating a rare opportunity with no outs and a runner on second. Then, Yoo Kang-nam flew out to center field, advancing Son Ho-young to third base, while Han Tae-yang popped out to the second baseman, and pinch hitter Jang Du-seong grounded out to the second baseman, ending the inning.

Lotte finally succeeded in scoring their first run in the eighth inning, trailing 0-5. Leadoff hitter Kim Dong-hyeok walked on four straight balls, and while on second base from a stolen base, Reyes hit a two-run homer to narrow the gap. Jeon Jun-woo continued the momentum with a hit to center field, but Jeon Min-jae dampened the rally with a double play initiated by the opposing third baseman to the second baseman and then to the first baseman.

On the mound, starting pitcher Na Gyun-an couldn't withstand the firepower of the young Doosan lineup, struggling through 5⅓ innings with 7 hits allowed (3 home runs), no walks, 1 strikeout, and 4 earned runs on 60 pitches. In the bottom of the first inning, with one out and runners on first and third, he gave up a sacrifice fly to Kim Jae-hwan, then after one out in the bottom of the second, he allowed a solo home run to Kim Dae-han, and in the bottom of the sixth, he surrendered back-to-back home runs to Kim Dong-jun and Yang Eui-ji. Na Gyun-an's attempt for his 12th first win this season was also thwarted, bringing his record to 0 wins and 4 losses with an ERA of 5.10 over 12 games.

With this day's loss, Lotte fell into a slump with three consecutive defeats. Expanding the scope to the last 10 games shows a record of 2 wins and 8 losses. Once regarded as an absolute top 3 team, with evaluations of "this year Lotte is different," the team has quickly spiraled downward and conceded third place to the Samsung Lions, who defeated the NC Dinos at the same time in Daegu. Lotte faces a major crisis.

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