Lotte achieved a thrilling comeback victory against KT's closer Park Young-hyun, who ranks first in saves.
The Lotte Giants of the Korea Professional Baseball League secured a 4-3 comeback victory in the 8th match of the season against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park on Nov. 11, 2025.
Lotte avenged the loss from the previous day, recording 35 wins, 3 ties, and 29 losses for the season. On the other hand, KT, which failed to extend its winning streak, has 34 wins, 3 ties, and 30 losses.
The home team KT lined up its starting lineup against Lotte's starter Tucker Davidson as follows: Bae Jung-dae (center fielder), Kim Sang-su (shortstop), Ahn Hyun-min (right fielder), Jang Sung-woo (designated hitter), Mel Rojas Jr. (left fielder), Hur Kyung-min (third baseman), Lee Ho-yeon (first baseman), Oh Yun-seok (second baseman), and Jo Dae-hyun (catcher).
Lotte faced KT's starter Emmanuel De Jesus with Jang Du-seong (center fielder), Go Seung-min (designated hitter), Víctor Reyes (right fielder), Jeon Jun-woo (left fielder), Kim Min-sung (third baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Jung Hoon (first baseman), Han Tae-yang (second baseman), and Jeung Bo-keun (catcher).
Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyoung explained the exclusion of Son Ho-young from the starting lineup, saying, "He probably couldn't hit Jesus's pitches well. Also, his recent performance at the plate hasn't been good. I thought it would be better not to play today."
Both teams missed opportunities in the 2nd inning. Lotte's lead-off batter Kim Min-sung hit a double to right-center field, but Jeon Min-jae popped out to second base on the first pitch, Jung Hoon struck out looking, and Han Tae-yang went down swinging at a strikeout. KT, after recording two outs, saw Hur Kyung-min get hit by a pitch and Lee Ho-yeon hit a single to center, but Oh Yun-seok couldn't capitalize on the 1st and 3rd base opportunity, grounding out to shortstop.
From the first point onward, it was Lotte's game. In the top of the 3rd, Jang Du-seong drew a walk after a 7-pitch battle, followed by Reyes hitting a single to right on the first pitch, putting runners on 1st and 3rd with two outs. Then, Jeon Jun-woo came up and broke the 0-0 deadlock with a run-scoring single to left.
In the top of the 4th, lead-off batter Jeon Min-jae reached on an infield single and advanced to 3rd after Jung Hoon's sacrifice bunt and a steal of 2nd base. Following that, Jeung Bo-keun walked to set up 2nd and 3rd base with two outs, but Jang Du-seong grounded out to the pitcher.
After missing an opportunity in the bottom of the 3rd with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, KT struck back in the bottom of the 4th. Lead-off batter Rojas hit a single to left, and Hur Kyung-min walked after a full count, creating a situation with no outs and runners on 1st and 2nd. Although Lee Ho-yeon and Oh Yun-seok struck out, Jo Dae-hyun hit a run-scoring single to left field to tie the game, and Bae Jung-dae followed up with a 2-run double to right-center, giving KT the lead.
In the bottom of the 5th, KT's lead-off batter Ahn Hyun-min hit a single to left and stole 2nd base, then stepped on 3rd on Jang Sung-woo's ground out to 2nd base, but Rojas and Hur Kyung-min struck out consecutively.
In the top of the 7th, Lotte's opportunity to chase was thwarted by a missed follow-up hit. After recording two outs, Reyes and Jeon Jun-woo hit back-to-back singles, setting up runners on 1st and 2nd, but Kim Min-sung hit a deep fly towards the center field wall that was caught by center fielder Bae Jung-dae at the warning track.
The turning point came in the top of the 8th. Lead-off batter Jeon Min-jae walked, Han Tae-yang hit a single to left, and Jeung Bo-keun walked to load the bases with one out, pulling KT closer Park Young-hyun early. Following that, Jang Du-seong struck out on a swing and miss, but he took the strength out of Park Young-hyun after an 11-pitch at-bat. After Go Seung-min walked to push the run home, Reyes hit a game-changing 2-run single to center. It was the moment of the winning hit.
Lotte's starter Davidson pitched 5⅓ innings, allowing 7 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs on 99 pitches, putting him in a losing position, but thanks to the help of the batting lineup, he recorded no decision. Following him were Na Gyun-an (1⅔ innings, no earned runs), Choi Jun-Yong (1 inning, no earned runs), and Kim Won-jung (1 inning, no earned runs), with Na Gyun-an earning a relief win for his first victory of the season after 13 games, while Kim Won-jung recorded his 16th save.
In the batting lineup, Reyes led the attack with 3 hits in 4 at-bats, including the game-winning hit and 2 RBIs. Jeon Jun-woo and Kim Min-sung supported with multi-hit games.
On the other hand, KT's starter De Jesus pitched 6 innings, allowing 6 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 1 earned run on 101 pitches, but he could not earn the victory due to bullpen struggles. The losing pitcher was Kim Min-soo. Bae Jung-dae and Ahn Hyun-min's multi-hit performances were overshadowed by the comeback loss.
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