The Lotte Giants displayed robust one-two punch as foreigners. Charlie Barnes had an injury layoff for a month in June, but pitched well this season with eight wins, two losses and a 2.83 ERA, and has displayed good pace since his return to the mound. Aaron Wilkerson maintained his starting rotation throughout the season, displaying 9 wins, eight losses and a 3.91 ERA.
One of the reasons Lotte is struggling by staying in eighth place in the 2024 KBO League standings competition is because of the balance of its starters. The domestic starters did not support it well.
In particular, the game in which Park took the mound was not very successful. Park had no additional starting win in eight consecutive games since the game against the KIA Tigers on June 27. During the period, Park’s ERA was only 6.34, and his team had one win and seven losses.
At a critical moment, Park Se-woong rebounded. Park Se-woong was in charge of the start of an important week when Lotte should continue its hope for the fall baseball season. At the home game against the Hanwha Eagles in Busan on Sunday, Park gave three hits and one run by garnering six strikeouts during seven innings, leading Lotte to a 3-1 victory. 안전놀이터
Park failed to win the starting pitcher’s victory on the day, either. However, Park fulfilled her responsibilities as a starting pitcher who needed to lay the groundwork for her team’s victory. The batters were blocked by Hanwha starter Moon Dong-ju, and struggled without a run until the sixth inning, but managed to survive thanks to Park’s good pitching.
In the end, Lotte turned the game around at the last minute when Hanwha’s bullpen appeared. Park Se-woong allowed one run in the top of the seventh inning, but Lotte’s batters drove in a concentrated hit in the bottom of the eighth inning to come from behind to win.
The reason Park’s performance was considered more decisive was that he was particularly weak against Hanwha. Park had previously been sluggish against Hanwha with 1-9 losses and an 8.51 ERA.
The final competition for fifth place has intensified. The eighth-ranked Lotte narrowed its gap versus the fifth-ranked KT Wiz to three games after losing to the LG Twins on the same day. The gap between the sixth-ranked SSG Landers and the seventh-ranked Hanwha Eagles has narrowed to two games. The gap between the fifth and eighth-ranked teams has narrowed to three games.
Hanwha, which failed to seek its fourth consecutive win due to loss in its first game of three consecutive captains, announced on Monday Ryan Weiss as its starting pitcher. He will take the mound after resting on Friday. He has garnered two consecutive starts in recent months, displaying good pace. The starting pitcher of Lotte is Barnes.
