Manager Lee Seung-yong of the SSG Landers expressed regret over losing the game despite a full effort in the match where club owner and general manager Choo Shin-soo's retirement ceremony was held.

In an interview before the match against the Lotte Giants at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 15th, Lee said, "The players did their best. It is not easy to win as we intend. Yesterday, I felt that the energy of Lotte was strong."

SSG lost to Lotte 2-4 in the game on the 14th, marking their third consecutive defeat. Since Choo Shin-soo's retirement ceremony was scheduled after the game, they made a decisive move by bringing in closer Jo Byeong-hyun while trailing by one run in the eighth inning, but allowed runs. In the ninth, with one out and runners on second and third, Jeong Jun-jae hit a ground ball to first base, causing the base runners to get caught in a rundown. The runner on third base succeeded in scoring, but the runner on second was tagged out, leading to an abrupt end to the game. Since scoring one run in a three-run deficit was not crucial, it was a clear mistake by the base runners.

Lee Seung-yong commented, "I thought we would have the last chance if we could only hold off in the eighth inning, so I brought in Jo. However, the game unfolded unexpectedly, and it is regrettable," adding, "In the ninth, with a three-run deficit, the runner shouldn't have advanced. However, the lead for the runner on second was too long. I should have made the players aware through Coach Jo Dong-hwa that scoring one run was not important. I had prepared Han Yu-seom to follow. Since it was a three-run difference, the runners should not have overextended themselves."

"Players often move based on instinct. They habitually think they need to go when a ground ball occurs," said Lee Seung-yong, emphasizing that, "No matter how much we talk in the dugout, the base coaches are the closest to the players. Coaches need to continuously communicate this to the players."

Starting pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun delivered a strong performance with 6 innings, allowing 4 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs, but ended up taking the loss. Lee Seung-yong stated, "(Though he had plenty of pitches left) I did not consider extending him for another inning. Normally, he could have gone another inning, but I was thinking of a full effort, so I substituted him without hesitation."

Lotte's starting pitcher Alec Gamboa held SSG's lineup in check with fastballs reaching speeds of 156 km/h. Lee Seung-yong acknowledged Gamboa's pitching, saying, "Even I can see it's not an easy pitch to hit. The release point is high, and the fastball speed is there. If I had seen it from the batter's box, I would have thought the pitches that seemed like strikes were too high and thus balls, while those that appeared to be balls came in as strikes. If he threw 99 pitches at 156 km/h, he deserves to be recognized as a good pitcher. I think the players did their best."

SSG's starting lineup consisted of Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Jeong Jun-jae (second base), Guillermo Heredia (left fielder), Han Yu-seom (designated hitter), Ko Myeong-jun (first baseman), Park Seong-han (shortstop), Jo Hyeong-woo (catcher), Kim Seong-wook (right fielder), and Seok Jeong-woo (third baseman). The starting pitcher is Drew Anderson.

[OSEN]