A sweep, a three-game winning streak, and a hot streak all in one inning. Lotte learned another hard lesson on the 27th.
Lotte learned the hard way that they need a solid mound performance to secure a win.
Lotte won its fourth game of the season, 6-5, against Kiwoom in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Sunday. Lotte scored six runs in the seventh inning and looked to be on their way to an easy win, but Kiwoom scored five runs in the bottom of the inning. Lotte got an infield grounder from Kiwoom’s Lee Jung-hoo to end the game.
Lotte seemed to be cruising to victory in the seventh inning. The momentum was with Lotte. Lotte scored six runs in the top of the seventh to take full control of the game. The big inning came from the bottom of the order. In the top of the seventh, Noh Jin-hyuk led off with an infield single in front of the pitcher. Han Dong-hee followed with a single to put runners on first and second. The eighth batter, Yoo Kang-nam, singled to left-center to bring home Noh Jin-hyuk, who was on second base. The ninth batter, Ahn Kwon-soo, then beat Kiwoom’s forward defense and hit a single to the right side of the infield, scoring Han Dong-hee and Yoo Kang-nam. Lotte took a 3-0 lead안전놀이터.
Lotte Giants pitcher Charlie Barnes started the game against the Kiwoom Heroes on July 27 and pitched six scoreless innings to earn his third win of the season. Courtesy of the Lotte Giants
The Giants carried the momentum from the bottom of the order into the top of the order. Four batters in a row – Park Seung-wook, Jeon Jun-woo, Ahn Chi-hong, and Yoon Dong-hee – singled to score three runs. Lotte extended their lead to 6-0.
However, the ninth inning was the opposite. With a 6-0 lead, Lotte sent Jin Seung-hyun to the mound in the bottom of the ninth. Jin gave up back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases with one out. Veteran Yoon Myung-joon then came in and struck out Lee Won-seok, but gave up a two-run single to rookie Kim Dong-heon.
With the score 6-2, Lotte was forced to bring up closer Kim Won-joong. Kim gave up a walk and an RBI double. Kim Won-joong induced Lee Jung-hoo to fly out to center field for the final out. It was a win, but a close one.
Lotte took the lead in the seventh inning and seemed to be cruising to victory, resting their closer Gye Too-jo. However, the ninth inning didn’t go their way, and they were able to pull out a 6-5, one-run victory. A late-game loss would have ended their three-game winning streak, their four-game winning streak against Kiwoom, and their momentum.
Meanwhile, Lotte will start Na Kyun-an in the final game of their three-game series against Kiwoom on the 28th.