Doosan Bears revived the spirit of 'Hustle Doo.' With unwavering determination, they completed a comeback in the eighth inning for two consecutive games.
Under the leadership of acting manager Cho Seong-hwan, Doosan Bears completed a comeback victory of 8-5 against the Lotte Giants in a professional baseball regular season match held at Busan Sajik Stadium on the 8th. Following a comeback win of 8-7 with 5 runs in the eighth inning against KT on the 6th, they demonstrated their determination for two consecutive games and extended their winning streak to three.
In the second inning, with two outs and a runner on first, Oh Myeong-jin hit a timely triple to score the first run for Doosan. Starting pitcher Choi Min-seok held back the Lotte lineup until the fourth inning, but gave up 4 runs in the fifth inning, putting his team behind.
However, Doosan started to chip away at the lead. Right after Lotte starting pitcher Hong Min-ki left the game, Jeong Soo-bin hit a double and Yang Eui-ji knocked in a timely hit off the left field wall to score a run. In the top of the seventh, Oh Myeong-jin hit a solo home run, narrowing the score to 3-4.
In the bottom of the seventh, with two outs and runners on first and third, they conceded a run due to a fielding error by Park Gye-beom, but began their comeback in the top of the eighth. Leading off, Jeong Soo-bin walked, and then Cave hit a two-run homer off Lotte's left-hander Kim Jin-wook, leveling the score at 5-5. Afterward, Kim Jae-hwan hit a single to right field, followed by a double from Park Jun-soon, and with Oh Myeong-jin getting intentionally walked, they loaded the bases with one out. Park Gye-beom, who made the earlier error, responded with a two-RBI timely hit that fell in front of the left fielder, leading to a successful comeback at 7-5.
Not stopping there, in the top of the ninth, Cave hit a critical solo home run off left-hander Song Jae-young, completing a comeback in the eighth inning for two consecutive games.
After the game, acting manager Cho Seong-hwan said, "It is a significant gain to create big innings in the eighth inning for two consecutive games while being in a difficult situation. The players are showing that they do not give up until the end," adding, "Cave led the attack today by swinging the bat fiercely. With his pivotal tying home run and later solo home run, he really boosted the team’s morale.
He continued, "Substituted player Park Gye-beom made a defensive mistake, but he quickly made up for it with his hitting. Kim Jae-hwan and Oh Myeong-jin are also maintaining good batting form," praising the players by stating, "On the mound, all the relief pitchers did their job well. They kept the runs to a minimum from the sixth to ninth innings, laying the groundwork for the comeback victory."
After the game, Cave noted, "I had been feeling really good recently, so I approached the game with the same plan and focused on hitting the ball hard on the bat’s sweet spot and lifting the ball. That part went well, and as a result, I had a good outcome." He emphasized his confidence in facing left-handed pitchers, saying, "Since I’ve been playing a lot of games, I’ve adapted to facing left-handers. During batting practice, Coach Jo Jung-geun threw me batting balls from the left, which has really helped me. Facing these lefties has definitely boosted my confidence."
On the 9th, Doosan is expected to have ace Kwak Bin as the starting pitcher, while Lotte will have Lee Min-seok.
[OSEN]