They launched a full-scale battle by deploying all the winning squad even in a losing situation. Just as they were trying to catch up without giving up, a foolish base-running error completely broke the momentum.

Hanwha Eagles lost 3-4 to the Lotte Giants in the regular season of professional baseball held at Busan Sajik Stadium on the 19th. The momentum was cut off after a five-game winning streak with a losing series.

On that day, Hanwha's starting pitcher Hwang Jun-seo allowed two runs in the first two innings. Still, he managed to hold his ground with a performance of five hits, one walk, six strikeouts, and two runs allowed in four innings before being taken out. Manager Kim Kyung-moon noted that he had anticipated the deployment of the winning squad early on. He mentioned that he would boldly deploy the winning squad even if they were losing in a close game.

There was enough leeway. In the first game of the series on the 17th, Wise pitched a perfect game with no runs in eight innings, leading to victory while only using one player, Kim Jong-soo, from the bullpen. In the game on the 18th, starting pitcher Eom Sang-baek was taken out before completing four innings, losing 3-6, but the second pitcher Kim Gi-jung minimized the bullpen usage with a thorough performance of three hits, three strikeouts, and no runs allowed in four innings. The winning squad was prepared for the winning series and maintaining the lead.

The Hanwha bench did not allow Lotte to add more points in the 5th and 6th innings by bringing in Jo Dong-uk and Ju Hyun-sang after Hwang Jun-seo. Hanwha's lineup had opportunities with one out and runners on first and second in the 3rd inning and two outs with the bases loaded in the 5th, but they could not capitalize.

Nevertheless, the Hanwha bench did not give up. In the 6th inning, facing a crisis with two outs and a runner on second while trailing 0-2, they brought in winning pitcher Park Sang-won, taking Ju Hyun-sang out. Although Park allowed a walk to the first hitter Han Tae-yang, he managed to get pinch-hitter Yoo Kang-nam out with a fly ball to center field, escaping the crisis.

He came up to the mound again in the 7th inning. However, he allowed a single to lead-off hitter Jeon Min-jae, a timely double to Go Seung-min, and a timely single to Reyes, allowing additional runs. The gap widened to 0-4. He struck out Jeon Jun-woo afterward, but the outlook was grim.

Still, the Hanwha bench did not give up. They brought winning pitcher Han Seung-hyeok to the mound. Although he allowed a single to the first hitter Park Chan-hyung, he got Kim Min-sung out with a ground ball to shortstop, preventing further runs. Ultimately, after ending the 7th inning without any additional runs, Hanwha found an opportunity. The lead-off hitter An Chi-hong got a walk against the best winning pitcher Choi Jun-yong from Lotte, and Moon Hyun-bin hit a single to left field. Later, Roh Si-hwan hit a ground ball to shortstop, but Lotte shortstop Jeon Min-jae made a throwing error to second base. Both runners scored, and Roh Si-hwan reached third base. With Chae Eun-seong's timely hit to left field added, the score narrowed to 3-4, just a one-point difference.

Having already used pinch runners and substitutes, the Hanwha bench was depleting their fielders. With the score at 3-4, they had an opportunity with no outs and a runner on first. The Hanwha bench brought in Kim Tae-yean as a pinch runner for Chae Eun-seong at first base and Choi In-ho as a pinch hitter for Lee Do-yoon. However, Choi In-ho struck out, and Hwang Young-mook also made an out with a fly ball to left field, leaving two outs and one runner on first. At the plate was Lee Jae-won. Since this season Lee Jae-won's batting average has barely exceeded .200, the bench had to consider various options. However, among several possibilities, the worst-case scenario emerged. In a 1-ball, 2-strike count, Kim Tae-yean attempted to steal second base on the fourth pitch. However, both his start and speed were not particularly fast. Lee Jae-won did not swing and simply watched. Ultimately, Kim Tae-yean was caught out by Lotte catcher Jeung Bo-keun's accurate throw to second base. An anticlimactic ending to the inning resulted in a failed steal. The atmosphere turned cold.

Eventually, Hanwha sent in closer Kim Seo-hyeon after Han Seung-hyeok during two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning, instilling a fighting spirit in the players. In the 9th, lead-off hitter Lee Jae-won hit a single, but after a sacrifice bunt by Yu Ro-kyeol, Lee Jin-young struck out, and An Chi-hong grounded out to shortstop. Unable to turn the game around, they faced back-to-back losses.

On that day, second-place LG lost 0-3 to NC, allowing Hanwha to maintain a solo lead. However, they could not pull away, keeping the gap at 0.5 games. It was a frustrating three-game series with Lotte, and the final moments were also unsatisfactory. Although the strategy of deploying the winning squad seemed to yield some results, they ultimately could not achieve the desired outcome.

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