“Yesterday's game was largely due to Jang Du-seong's 11-pitch battle.”

Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyoung met with reporters on the 12th, ahead of the 9th matchup of the season against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, and said, “I thought yesterday's game would be difficult to turn around, but Jang Du-seong performed well.” He specifically mentioned Jang Du-seong.

Jang Du-seong came up to bat with one out and the bases loaded in the 8th inning against KT on the previous day, trailing 1-3. With the league's saves leader Park Young-hyun on the mound (20 saves), he found himself in a 0B-2S unfavorable count after a changeup on the first pitch and a fastball on the second. However, Jang Du-seong did not get intimidated. After three consecutive fouls, he watched a ball and then troubled Park Young-hyun with three more consecutive fouls, creating a 2B-2S count. Ultimately, on the 11th pitch, he swung and missed at a 138km slider, but Lotte fans were thrilled by the 11-pitch battle.

Perhaps it was due to the effects of the lengthy at-bat. Park Young-hyun showed a sudden loss of control, and Lotte's lineup did not miss the opportunity. Following batter Go Seung-min calmly drew a walk, bringing in one run to close the gap, and Reyes came in, gaining a favorable 2B-1S count, before hitting a 2-run go-ahead single that flew to center field on the fourth pitch, marking the moment of the game-winning hit.

Manager Kim Tae-hyoung noted, “Jang Du-seong's strikeout was important. Park Young-hyun showed all his focus during Jang Du-seong's at-bat,” adding, “Jang Du-seong is not just having a flash of brilliance but shows he is somewhat on track now. There was a time recently when his performance dipped, but he has found it again. He’s doing well to fill the gap left by Hwang Seung-bin. Even when Hwang Seung-bin returns, we can be somewhat assured.”

Jang Du-seong, who has been a bench player and backup defender, is showing remarkable improvement in his hitting, with a .293 batting average, 20 RBIs, and 33 runs scored over 60 games in his fifth year since debut. Manager Kim Tae-hyoung expressed satisfaction, saying, “He has done well to seize opportunities early and has maintained that well. I didn’t expect him to perform this well, but he’s doing great.”

Meanwhile, Lotte set its starting lineup against KT's starting pitcher So Hyung-jun with Jang Du-seong (center fielder), Go Seung-min (first baseman), Víctor Reyes (left fielder), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Kim Min-sung (third baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Son Ho-young (second baseman), Kim Dong-hyeok (right fielder), and Jeung Bo-keun (catcher). The starting pitcher is left-handed Kim Jin-wook.

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