The 'bottom-ranked' Lotte Giants, who knocked down Alcantara, narrowly halted the 9th-place Kiwoom Heroes' four-game winning streak, closing the gap to one game and showing signs of escaping the cellar. [Busan On-the-Ground Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The 'bottom-ranked' Lotte Giants thwarted the '9th-place' Kiwoom Heroes' four-game winning streak, narrowing the gap to one game.

On the 28th, Lotte defeated Kiwoom 5-4 in a home game at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium in the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League'. Lotte held off Kiwoom's comeback attempt in the 9th inning while leading 5-2.

Lotte lined up its batting order as follows: Jang Du-seong (center fielder), Rayes (right fielder), Noh Jin-hyuk (first baseman), Jeon Jun-woo (left fielder), Han Dong-hee (designated hitter), Yu Gangnam (catcher), Park Seung-wook (third baseman), and Jeon Min-jae (shortstop). Left-handed pitcher Kim Jin-wook started on the mound for Lotte.

In response, Kiwoom set its starting lineup as follows: Brooks (designated hitter), An Chi-hong (second baseman), Kim Geon-hee (catcher), Im Ji-yeol (left fielder), Lee Hyung-jong (right fielder), Kim Ji-seok (third baseman), Choi Ju-hwan (first baseman), Oh Seon-jin (left fielder), and Park Ju-hong (center fielder). Raul Alcantara was the starting pitcher for Kiwoom.

Lotte took the lead first. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, leadoff batter Yu Gangnam reached base with a double to right-center field, then moved to third base on a ground ball by Park Seung-wook to the second baseman. With one out and a runner on third, Jeon Min-jae hit a bunt grounder toward the pitcher, allowing Yu Gangnam to score.

Kiwoom counterattacked. In the top of the 5th inning, leadoff batter Choi Ju-hwan drew a walk, and Oh Seon-jin's sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second base with one out. Park Ju-hong then hit a two-run single to right-center field, tying the game 1-1. With one out and bases loaded, Kim Geon-hee drew a bases-loaded walk to take a 2-1 lead. However, Im Ji-yeol and Lee Hyung-jong both struck out, preventing further scoring.

Lotte also capitalized in the bottom of the 5th. Jang Du-seong's single to left field and Rayes' double to right-center field created a scoring opportunity with no outs and runners on second and third. Although no RBI hit came through, Jeon Jun-woo's ground ball to third base tied the game 2-2.

In the bottom of the 6th, Lotte regained the lead. After one out, Park Seung-wook's single to left field and Jeon Min-jae's double to second base created a scoring opportunity with runners on second and third. Lee Ho-jun then hit a one-RBI single to center field, and Jang Du-seong followed with a two-RBI triple to left-center field, extending the lead to 5-2.

Kiwoom continued to pressure Lotte until the top of the 9th inning. Leadoff batter Im Byung-wook drew a walk, and Park Ju-hong then hit a two-run triple down the right-field line, narrowing the score to 3-5. Brooks' single to left field brought the score to 4-5, closing the gap to one run. However, An Chi-hong grounded into a double play to the shortstop, ending Kiwoom's comeback hopes.

Lotte's starting pitcher Kim Jin-wook pitched five innings, allowing four hits, six strikeouts, three walks, and two earned runs, delivering a solid performance. Relief pitchers Hyun Do-hun and Park Jeong-min both held the line without allowing runs, securing the victory. In particular, Hyun Do-hun pitched two perfect scoreless innings. Choi Jun-yong, who entered in the 9th, failed to record an out and allowed two runs, but Kim Won-joong held the lead and closed out the game.

Offensively, Jeon Min-jae recorded three hits and one RBI, Jang Du-seong added two hits and two RBIs, and Rayes contributed two hits in four at-bats. In contrast, Kiwoom's starting pitcher Alcantara took the loss after pitching six innings, allowing ten hits, two walks, three strikeouts, and five earned runs.

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*This content was translated by AI.