The left-handed pitcher with a 9.67 earned run average took the mound as a one-port reliever at a crucial moment. Was this choice the right one? The Lotte Giants faced yet another unbelievable comeback loss. In a situation where closer Kim Won-jung had to take a rest due to shoulder discomfort, the use of seven bullpen pitchers ultimately ended in failure.
On the 8th, Lotte suffered a comeback loss of 5-8 against the Doosan Bears during the regular season of professional baseball at Busan Sajik Stadium. Lotte faced the recent instability and overloading effects of their bullpen once again.
On that day, Lotte's starting pitcher Hong Min-ki threw a remarkable game, completing 5 innings with 3 hits, no walks, 7 strikeouts, and 1 run. From the 4th inning with 1 out and a runner on first base through the 5th inning, he demonstrated his power by striking out five consecutive batters.
In the bottom of the 5th, trailing 0-1, Han Tae-yang hit a timely double, followed by Park Chan-hyung's timely triple, and then Reyes's two-run homer, taking the lead at 4-1. However, after Hong Min-ki left the mound, the bullpen exposed their instability.
From the 6th inning, dark clouds began to loom. Jeong Hyeon-su, who came in during the 6th, allowed a double to Jeong Soo-bin after one out. After retiring Cave with a fly ball to left field, he left the mound. The pitcher was then changed to Kim Kang-hyun. However, with two outs and a runner on second base, Kim Kang-hyun was hit by a timely hit from the first batter Yang Eui-ji, who hit one over the left-center wall. The score narrowed to 2-4, but no further runs were allowed.
Kim Kang-hyun, who also came in during the 7th, allowed a solo home run to Oh Myung-jin with one out and no runners on base, bringing the score to 3-4. Following this, Lotte brought in their winning pitcher Jeong Cheol-won. Jeong Cheol-won induced the first batter Kang Seung-ho to hit a ground ball to the shortstop, but an error by shortstop Jeon Min-jae allowed a runner to reach base. Coming to the plate, they faced a crisis with one out and runners on second and third. However, he struck out Chu Jae-hyun, Kim Min-seok, and the trade rivals, all without allowing additional runs in the 7th inning.
In the bottom of the 7th, with a triple by Hwang Seong-bin, there was an opportunity with two outs and runners on first and third. During Jeon Jun-woo's ground ball, an error by the opposing shortstop Park Gye-beom allowed them to add one more run. The score led to 5-3.
However, that day, Lotte had a significant variable late in the game. Closer Kim Won-jung was on a rest day. Kim Won-jung felt discomfort in his shoulder after the game against KIA in Gwangju on the 6th. He underwent a medical examination, and although there were no significant issues, he needed to take a rest. Ultimately, innings that needed to be held in the bullpen increased by one inning.
For now, Jeong Cheol-won, who successfully held the 7th inning, did not pitch in the 8th. Ideally, Choi Jun-yong was supposed to take the mound, but he prepared for the 9th inning. Instead of opting for multi-inning usage for Jeong Cheol-won, Lotte inserted Gu Seung-min in a clean situation to start the 8th inning.
From the bench, they hoped that Gu Seung-min, Kim Sang-su, and Song Jae-young would be able to manage one inning. These were pitchers with experiences of holding tight situations. However, Gu Seung-min issued a walk to the leadoff batter Jeong Soo-bin and was taken out. The subsequent decision was puzzling. They brought in Kim Jin-wook, who was newly called up from the second team, to face the left-handed hitter Cave.
This year, Kim Jin-wook started the season as a starter but has undergone ups and downs since then. His seasonal earned run average reached 9.67. When called up that day, Manager Kim Tae-hyoung stated, “There was nothing particularly noteworthy.” This meant there had been no reports of improvement from the second team.
Ultimately, this poor choice led to a disaster. Kim Jin-wook kept throwing breaking balls against Cave. He fell behind with a 2-ball count and again threw a slider on the third pitch, inducing a swing and a miss. Then he threw a slow curve on the fourth pitch. Although the pitch was headed for the lower part of the strike zone, Cave was waiting as if he had been anticipating it, lifting the curve for a game-tying two-run homer.
Although there was another left-handed pitcher, Song Jae-young, in the bullpen, Manager Kim Tae-hyoung chose Kim Jin-wook. Eventually, the score was tied at 5-5. Whether this was indeed the best choice remained questionable. After Kim Jin-wook left, Kim Sang-su came in but could not contain the rising Doosan lineup. With the score tied at 5-5, he got Kim Gi-yeon out on a ground ball to third base, but allowed a single to Kim Jae-hwan and a double to Park Joon-soon, bringing the situation to one out with runners on second and third. He opted to intentionally walk Oh Myung-jin to face Park Gye-beom, but ended up allowing a two-run timely hit to left field by Park Gye-beom. The score flipped to 5-7.
In the 9th, they changed pitchers again, bringing in Song Jae-young, who then allowed a solo home run to Cave as he returned to the lineup. Ultimately, both Kim Jin-wook and Song Jae-young conceded home runs, but it was hard to see this as the best choices.
Recently, Lotte's bullpen usage choices have been consistently off the mark. On the 4th against KIA in Gwangju, the choice to replace pitchers after Choi Jun-yong's third consecutive appearance went awry, resulting in a comeback loss. That was also a disastrous defeat that occurred when they could not use closer Kim Won-jung.
Lotte had to suffer a loss after exhausting their seven bullpen pitchers. Furthermore, the bullpen appeared to be showing signs of overload. Concerns about the upcoming second half are rising.
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