The Lotte Giants escaped from three consecutive losses and rekindled their hopes of advancing to the semifinals.
Lotte won 2-1 against LG in the away game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 10th after 10 extra innings.
With the victory, Lotte ended its three-game losing streak and posted 58 wins, 66 losses and four draws. The team ranks eighth in the league. Still, Lotte has 16 more games to play, the most among the 10 teams, and it is not in a stage to give up its bid to advance to the semifinals. It has 3.5 games to beat Doosan, which ranks fifth, and 1.5 games to beat SSG, which ranks sixth, and it is likely to make it to the semifinals depending on the outcome of the remaining matches.
Lotte was dragged away by allowing the first run in the third inning, but a big single in the fifth inning brought the game to square one. With leadoff hitter Jung Hoon grounded out to shortstop, there was no runner with one out. Park Seung-wook hit Lim Chan-kyu’s third slider (132.6 kilometers) with the ball count 1-1, drawing a tying solo arch over the right fence. Park’s sixth homer this season. The angle of launch was 30 degrees, the speed of hitting was 162.1 kilometers, and the distance was 123 meters.
In the end, the two teams failed to score points until the ninth inning, and the game went to extra time. And it didn’t take that long for the game to be decided. Lotte finally turned the game around by targeting the changed opposing pitcher Lee Jong-joon. Pinch-hitter Shin Yoon-hoo fouled out at first base and Yoon Dong-hee grounded out to shortstop to make two outs.
However, with two outs and two outs, Lotte’s concentration was outstanding. After hitting the first pitch, Ko Seung-min picked up four balls in a row to walk to the first base. Son Ho-young’s hit then led to a hit that exceeded the height of the third baseman. Meanwhile, Ko Seung-min settled on the third base by making bold base running plays. Reyes, who went to the next batter’s box, scored a clean timely hit to the right, turning the game around 2-1. It was the final hit of the game. 스포츠토토
Lotte continued to drag Kim Won-joong in the bottom of the 10th inning with a 2-1 lead. The catcher was replaced by Kang Tae-yul. Kim Won-joong seemed to be facing a crisis after getting a hit to the left by Park Dong-won. Park Dong-won was replaced by pinch runner Choi Seung-min. Subsequent Lee Young-bin struck out. Choi Seung-min then attempted to steal second base during Park Hae-min’s at-bat, but Kang Tae-yul fired a laser throw. With two outs, Park Hae-min got on base with a walk, but the game ended with Lotte’s victory as the last batter, Koo Bon-hyuk, stepped down with a fly ball to the second base.
During seven ⅔ innings, Lotte starter Wilkerson pitched four hits, three walks, four strikeouts and one run (one earned) to achieve his 10th win (eight losses) this season. Following Jin Hae-soo (⅓ innings), Kim Won-joong allowed one hit, one walk, three strikeouts and no run in two innings to secure his 22nd save of this season. Son Ho-young and Reyes played multi hits in the batting lineup, which had 10 hits in both short and long innings.
There was a moment when manager Kim Tae-hyung shone hard. At the bottom of the eighth inning, Wilkerson allowed leadoff hitter Park Hae-min to walk on the ninth pitch after a full count match, and Koo Bon-hyuk’s sacrifice bunt succeeded, facing a crisis with one out and two outs. At that time, Wilkerson pitched 103 pitches. The next batter is Hong Chang-ki, one of the batters with the best contact ability. Still, Kim pushed Wilkerson, and as a result, Hong was grounded out on the second pitch. Then, Lotte let down Wilkerson and raised Jin Hae-soo. Jin finished the eighth inning by dealing with Kim Hyun-soo by striking out.
“Winning pitcher Wilkerson pitched seven and two thirds of an inning so well that he allowed one run. Closer Kim Won-joong also pitched two scoreless innings, which allowed us to keep our victory,” Kim said after the game, praising the pitchers responsible for the mound. “The fielders did not lose concentration until the end, and they played well. We were able to lead to Reyes’ finishing hit in the 10th inning,” Kim said.
More than anything, 23,750 seats were sold out at Jamsil Stadium despite Tuesday’s game. It was possible because many Lotte fans visited Jamsil Stadium. The head coach did not forget those fans. “I am also grateful to the fans who came to the stadium to cheer for me despite the heat wave,” Kim said, before expressing his gratitude to the greatest fans.
