It seemed like they were going to win the game, but then they gave it away. They gave up seven runs in the first inning and lost. It was an unacceptable defeat.
Lotte took a 5-1 lead against the SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Sunday, but gave up seven runs in the eighth inning to suffer a disastrous 5-8 loss. The loss snapped a four-game losing streak for Lotte.
Lotte couldn’t have asked for a better performance from starter Park Se-woong. His seven innings of three-hit, two-ball, two-strikeout, one-run ball on QualityStart Plus laid the foundation for the win, and the offense jumped out to an early lead against the “nemesis” Kim Kwang-hyun, who hadn’t won in nearly nine years. After missing a bases-loaded opportunity in the first inning, they scored three runs on a two-run single by Yoo Kang-nam and a double steal in the second. No more runs were scored, but in the sixth, Jeon Jun-woo took advantage of a bases-loaded opportunity with two outs and hit a two-run double to center field. It was the fifth run.
Despite a single run in the sixth, Lotte went into the eighth with a 5-1 lead. Now it was time for the elimination game. Four runs in two innings. It was said that Lotte’s bullpen was jittery and tired, but on this day, they were given some breathing room by the arrival of Kim Jin-wook and Kim Sang-soo. Kim Jin-wook showed off his powerful stuff by delivering a 147-kilometer fastball. However, he gave up back-to-back hits to SSG’s pinch-hitter Kim Jin-sung and Ahn Sang-hyun. He then gave up a single to Choo Shin-soo. The zeroes suddenly didn’t come. Eventually, the bases were loaded.
With the bases loaded, Koo Seung-min had to take the mound. Koo Seung-min took the mound with a lot of responsibility. First, he got the first batter, Choi Ji-hoon, to ground out to the pitcher to load the bases. With one out, he faced Choi Jung, who had hit a home run the day before. He had a favorable one-ball, two-strike count against Choi, but Koo Seung-min and catcher Yoo Kang-nam didn’t make it easy for him. They lured him with three consecutive sliders, but his bat didn’t follow through. It was a tough game, and it was natural for it to be a tough game. However, even with a favorable pitch count, he was unable to capitalize and lost the battle. A push ball. Down 2-5.
This is where things started to go south. Heredia had a one-ball, two-strike advantage, but his ability to make contact was fouled off. Eventually, after an eight-pitch at-bat, he hit a hard grounder to third to get the lead runner out at second. Runners on second and third. We breathed a sigh of relief, but it wasn’t over.
Koo Seung-min fought a forked ball against Park Sung-ho, but was not retired. It was three balls and one strike. He worked a full count but gave up a walk. The bases were loaded again. Koo Seung-min was unable to close out the inning and handed the ball over to Kim Won-joong.
Kim Won-joong was obviously under a lot of pressure. He was the last man standing and the pressure was on. The mood had shifted in SSG’s favor. Kim Won-joong didn’t have much luck with the pinch-hitter Choi Joo-hwan and gave up a walk. A push ball put him on the ropes at 5-4.
There was nowhere to go, but even if he did, he would be pushed out. He threw a curveball to Jeon, but it was a ball. He followed with a 147-kilometer fastball, but Jeon turned his bat as if he was waiting for it and smashed a three-run double to left-center field.
Speaking about the game-winning hit, Jeon said, “I felt comfortable at the plate, thinking that I was going to hit the fastball with the right timing. “The pitcher is more nervous than the batter in scoring position, so I set a certain line and came to the plate,” he said, “I told him to swing at the ball at the height I set. “My coach told me that since I had given up a walk earlier, I should look at the zone narrowly and go in,” she explained. Lotte had already lost the battle of the balls.
Down 5-7, Kim Won-joong gave up a walk to Kang Jin-sung and a single to Ahn Sang-hyun. The gap widened to 5-8, and Lotte was facing defeat.토토사이트
With a four-run lead, Pil Seung-jo failed to save a single run. As a result, they were unable to fight back and put themselves in a difficult situation. In the process, even the veteran catcher Yoo Kang-nam failed to control the situation. Both Pil Seung-jo, who was supposed to lead and protect the team’s victory, and An Bang-ma-nim faltered. It’s no exaggeration to say that they were responsible for the Shock’s fourth straight loss. Now, the rest of the season is even more worrying for Lotte.