Lotte overcame various challenges such as the early exit of their starting pitcher and a blown save by their closer to secure a victory in extra innings.

The Lotte Giants in professional baseball claimed a 12-7 victory in the 9th game of the season against the KT Wiz in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 12th.

Lotte is riding a two-game winning streak and has successfully achieved back-to-back winning series. They now stand at 36 wins, 3 draws, and 29 losses, placing them alone in 3rd place. In contrast, KT has fallen to 34 wins, 3 draws, and 31 losses with this being their second consecutive defeat.

The home team KT fielded a starting lineup against Lotte's left-hander Kim Jin-wook, which included Bae Jeong-dae (center fielder), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Ahn Hyun-min (designated hitter), Jang Sung-woo (catcher), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Mel Rojas Jr. (left fielder), Oh Yoon-seok (first baseman), Jang Jin-hyeok (right fielder), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop).

Lotte submitted their lineup against KT's starting pitcher So Hyung-joon, which included 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 first run went to KT. In the bottom of the 1st inning, after one out, Kim Sang-su broke the ice with a single to center, and Ahn Hyun-min hit a two-run homer. On the sixth pitch of the full count, he connected with a low slider (130 km/h) from Kim Jin-wook, resulting in a 127.5-meter home run to left field. It was his 11th home run of the season, coming seven days after his last against the Hanwha Eagles on the 5th.

In the bottom of the 2nd inning, lead-off hitter Oh Yoon-seok and Jang Jin-hyeok set the stage with back-to-back singles, putting runners on first and second with no outs. During Kwon Dong-jin's ground ball to shortstop, the runner on first, Jang Jin-hyeok, was forced out at second, and the runner on second, Oh Yoon-seok, was tagged out in a rundown between second and third, changing the situation to two outs with a runner on first. However, Bae Jeong-dae kept the momentum going with a single to left, and Kim Sang-su followed with an RBI single to right, before Ahn Hyun-min hit a three-run homer consecutively.

Ahn Hyun-min hit a massive home run to deep right-center field with a distance of 130.8 meters on the third pitch of a 1B-1S count, connecting with Kim Jin-wook's fastball (144 km/h). It was his 9th home run of the KBO League season, the 1,223rd of his career, and his second consecutive home run. Ahn Hyun-min had hit his first consecutive home run on the 2nd of last month against the Kiwoom Heroes.

Lotte did not stop. Starting in the top of the 3rd inning, trailing 0-6, lead-off hitter Son Ho-young singled to left, and Kim Dong-hyeok was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Jeung Bo-keun struck out looking, but Jang Du-seong hit a two-RBI triple to left-center, and Go Seung-min followed with an RBI double to right-center. Then, Reyes hit a ground out that advanced the runner Go Seung-min to third, and Jeon Jun-woo delivered an RBI single to left, narrowing the deficit to 4-6.

Lotte did not stop. In the top of the 4th inning, after one out, Son Ho-young singled to center, and Kim Dong-hyeok drew a walk to create a first and second base opportunity. This time, Jeung Bo-keun struck out swinging, but Jang Du-seong showed up and hit an RBI single to center. Center fielder Bae Jeong-dae dove towards the ball, but it was not enough.

Lotte finally tied the game in the top of the 5th inning. With lead-off hitters Reyes and Jeon Min-jae on base with singles, Son Ho-young hit a game-tying single to left, scoring an RBI.

In the top of the 6th inning, Lotte continued to threaten with one out as Jang Du-seong and Go Seung-min hit consecutive singles, and after a wild pitch, Reyes loaded the bases with an automatic walk. However, against the new pitcher Woo Gyu-min, Jeon Jun-woo and Kim Min-sung both made pop-outs to right field.

Lotte did not stop. In the top of the 7th inning, lead-off hitter Jeon Min-jae reached base with a single to center, and Son Ho-young attempted a sacrifice bunt but was chosen by the pitcher, leaving one out at first base. Following this, Kim Dong-hyeok struck out looking, and Son Ho-young attempted a steal of second base. Jeung Bo-keun then hit an RBI single to right, managing to drive in the go-ahead run and knocking Woo Gyu-min out of the game.

KT's batting lineup rallied against Lotte's closer Kim Won-jung in the bottom of the 9th inning. Ahn Hyun-min hit a single to center, and Heo Kyung-min walked, putting runners on first and second with two outs. Then, pinch hitter Lee Ho-yeon stepped up and delivered a dramatic game-tying single against his former team. Following him, pinch hitter Moon Sang-cheol loaded the bases with a walk after eight pitches, but Lee Jeong-hoon struck out swinging, leading to extra innings.

In the top of the 10th inning, Lotte took the lead after one out when Jang Du-seong drew a walk and took second base on a pickoff error. However, he was struck by a pickoff throw on his right side and was transported to a nearby hospital via ambulance. Meanwhile, Go Seung-min and Reyes both drew walks, loading the bases, and Jeon Jun-woo delivered a push walk to break the 7-7 tie, giving Lotte the lead.

Lotte faced a situation with two outs and the bases loaded after Kim Min-sung struck out. Jeon Min-jae also hit a pop-up in the infield, and the inning seemed to be over, but catcher Jang Sung-woo made a shocking error, letting the ball slip. In the meantime, Go Seung-min and Reyes both crossed home plate. Following that, Son Ho-young hit a single to left for an RBI, widening the gap, and Kim Dong-hyeok executed a perfectly placed bunt single for another RBI, sealing the victory.

Lotte will face the SSG Landers in a weekend three-game series starting on the 13th in Incheon. KT will head to Daegu to meet the Samsung Lions.

[OSEN]