The Korea Baseball Organization's Lotte Giants staged a thrilling reversal drama, delivering the best gift of 'four consecutive wins' to the fans who filled Sajik Stadium.
Lotte defeated the Samsung Lions 9-6 in a home game on the 22nd, leveraging the team's offensive concentration. As a result, Lotte has recorded four consecutive wins since the game against Hanwha Eagles on the 18th. Meanwhile, Samsung has fallen into a three-game losing streak. Starting pitcher Won Tae-in completed the season's seventh victory requirement, but had to swallow his regret as the bullpen collapsed. Park Byeong-ho hit a home run for the third consecutive game, but it lost its shine due to the team's defeat.
Lotte, with Park Se-woong as the starting pitcher, arranged the batting order with Kim Dong-hyeok in center field, Go Seung-min at first base, Víctor Reyes in right field, Jeon Jun-woo in left field, Jung Hoon as designated hitter, Kim Min-sung at third base, Han Tae-yang at second base, Jeung Bo-keun as catcher, and Jeon Min-jae as shortstop. Samsung's starting lineup included Kim Ji-chan in center field, Kim Seong-yun in right field, Koo Ja-wook in left field, Lewin Diaz at first base, Park Byeong-ho as designated hitter, Ryu Ji-hyuk at second base, Kim Jae-sung as catcher, Jeon Byeong-woo at third base, and Yang Do-geun at shortstop. The starting pitcher was Won Tae-in.
In the first inning, Samsung created a scoring opportunity with a walk by Kim Seong-yun and a single by Koo Ja-wook. Park Byeong-ho then hit a three-run home run to take the lead. In the second inning, after Yang Do-geun's single to left-center field and a sacrifice bunt by Kim Ji-chan, Kim Seong-yun added another run with a single. In response, Lotte capitalized on a scoring chance in the bottom of the second inning with a hit by Jeon Jun-woo, a wild pitch, and a double by Kim Min-sung that cleared the center fielder, narrowing the score.
Then Samsung seized another scoring opportunity in the third inning with a walk by Park Byeong-ho and a single by Ryu Ji-hyuk. Although Kim Jae-sung flew out to right field, Park Byeong-ho managed to touch third base again, leading to a runner on first and third base with one out. Samsung added a run with a single by Jeon Byeong-woo. While Yang Do-geun grounded into a fielder's choice, both Ryu Ji-hyuk and Jeon Byeong-woo successfully advanced. Kim Ji-chan's infield single widened the gap to 5-1. In the bottom of the third inning, Lotte created a scoring chance with one out and runners on first and third base, where Reyes and Jeon Jun-woo hit consecutive timely hits, closing the gap to three runs.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, trailing 3-6, Lotte displayed their powerful firepower just as a team with the highest batting average should, pummeling the opposing mound. After Samsung's starting pitcher Won Tae-in, Kim Tae-hoon took the mound. Lotte rallied with a single by Kim Dong-hyeok and a walk by Go Seung-min, followed by a hit by Reyes that brought them within one run. Continuing with runners on first and third bases, Jeon Jun-woo hit a double to left-center field. The runner on third base, Go Seung-min, scored easily. Jung Hoon reached base on an automatic intentional walk, filling the bases. Kim Min-sung then hit a clearing double to right-center field, putting Lotte ahead 8-6. Pinch hitter Yoo Kang-nam added an insurance run with an RBI double to extend the lead to three runs.
Lotte's starting pitcher Park Se-woong had a rough outing, going three innings and allowing eight hits (one home run), three walks, three strikeouts, and six earned runs. The second pitcher, Hong Min-ki, came in for three innings, allowing one hit and six strikeouts with no earned runs, completely shutting down Samsung's lineup. The third pitcher, Yoon Seong-bin, also delivered in the seventh inning, registering a top speed of 158 km/h while putting down three batters flawlessly. Kim Min-sung led the offense with two hits in four at-bats and four RBIs, while Jeon Jun-woo contributed three hits in five at-bats with two RBIs and two runs scored. Reyes also provided support with three hits in five at-bats, two RBIs, and one run.
Samsung's starting pitcher Won Tae-in pitched six innings, allowing seven hits, one walk, five strikeouts, and three earned runs, but was unlucky. The second pitcher Kim Tae-hoon threw one-third of an inning, giving up four hits, two walks, one strikeout, and six earned runs, taking the loss.
[OSEN]