*This content was translated by AI.
I wonder if it's still a dream. Lotte Giants starting pitchers made a dominant start (more than eight innings and less than one earned run) in two consecutive games.
Lotte won 3-1 over the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season visit game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 10th. As a result, Lotte won two consecutive games and came out of the game with four wins and seven losses. On the other hand, Kiwoom fell to the bottom with three wins and eight losses after losing two consecutive games.
The main player in the victory was by far starting pitcher Elvin Rodriguez. Rodriguez earned his second win of the season with four hits (one homer) and 11 strikeouts and one run in eight innings with a maximum speed of 154 kilometers per hour.
It wasn't smooth. In the first inning alone, he was hit by a double to center field by Lee Ju-hyung and was on the verge of hitting An Chi-hong's outfield fly ball with two outs and third base. After allowing Park Chan-hyuk to get on base with a strike-not-out wild pitch in the second inning, he experienced a two-out, first and third base with a right-handed hit by Park Hang-yeol. However, he escaped the crisis by striking out and hitting a mistake with his fastball.
In particular, it was surprising that he threw only 104 pitches while striking out 11 times. Starting with Choi Joo-hwan striking out swinging in the bottom of the first inning, he struck out every inning except for the fifth inning. In the fifth inning, he made a three-out inning with five balls and showed efficient pitching. Choi Joo-hwan's solo shot over the right fence in the bottom of the fourth inning, which was the only fly in the ointment, was also less disappointing.
While Rodriguez took the lead on the mound, the batters also gained strength. In the top of the first inning, leadoff hitter Hwang Sung-bin got on base with a triple that separated the outfield in left-center. Roh Jin-hyuk then hit the first pitch and brought Hwang Sung-bin home with a heavy hit. In the top of the fourth inning, Han Tae-yang and Jeon Min-jae's consecutive hits were followed by wild pitches, which gave them a chance to hit second and third bases with one out. Hwang Sung-bin brought the third baseman home with a deep hit to shortstop to make it 2-0.
Foreign batter Victor Reyes hit the first pitch in the top of the fifth inning and collapsed opposing ace Raul Alcantara when he crossed the central fence wide. Closer Choi Jun-yong defended his team's victory for two consecutive games by perfectly blocking the ninth inning with 10 balls. My first save of the season.
At the same time, Rodriguez pulled off a milestone that was rarely seen in Lotte for the first time in 11 years. In the match against KT Wiz in Busan on the 8th, starter Kim Jin-wook showed good pitching for one run in eight innings. It is the first time since July 2015 that Lotte's starting pitcher has achieved a dominant start with more than eight innings in two consecutive games and one run or less. On July 8, 2015, Song Seung-joon allowed eight scoreless innings against the LG Twins in Jamsil, and the next day, on July 9, Josh Lindblom allowed one run in eight innings at the same place.
Lotte's desired appearance seems to be finally revealed. Rodriguez was evaluated for his ability to use various breaking balls and control such as cutters, sweepers, curves, and changeups while throwing a fastball up to 157 kilometers per hour.
However, in the opening two games, Samsung Lions gave up two hits, five walks and four strikeouts in five innings, and SSG Landers gave up nine hits (two homers) and six outs (one hit with five walks) and eight runs in four innings without striking out, causing concern.
Concerns did not last very long. Even though it was his first appearance at Gocheok Sky Dome, where foreign pitchers have the most difficulty adapting, he proved his perfect control and excellent ball control, raising expectations for the future.
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*This content was translated by AI.
