'Oh Seon-jin's 11th-inning squeeze': Kiwoom Heroes, after a grueling extra-inning battle against Lotte Giants in 10th place, secured a 6-5 victory! 'Emergency starter' Oh Seok-joo outdueled the ace → Kiwoom extends lead to 2 games over Lotte [Busan On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

'Emergency starter' Oh Seok-joo led the Kiwoom Heroes to a hard-fought victory over Lotte Giants, who relied on 'foreign starter' Alvin Rodriguez, avenging their loss from the previous day (28th).

'On the 29th, Kiwoom defeated Lotte 6-5 in an away game at Busan Sajik Stadium in the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.' Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the 8th, Kiwoom tied the game at 5-5 but added another run in the top of the 11th to secure the win.

'With this victory, Kiwoom avenged their loss from the previous day (28th) and extended their lead over 10th-place Lotte to two games.'

'Kiwoom set its batting order as follows: Park Ju-hong (center fielder), Brooks (designated hitter), An Chi-hong (second baseman), Kim Geon-hee (catcher), Kim Ji-seok (third baseman), Im Ji-yeol (left fielder), Choi Ju-hwan (first baseman), Im Byung-wook (right fielder), and Oh Seon-jin (shortstop). Oh Seok-joo started on the mound.'

'Lotte's starting lineup was: Jang Du-seong (center fielder), Rayes (left fielder), Noh Jin-hyuk (first baseman), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Yu Gangnam (catcher), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Park Seung-wook (third baseman), and Lee Ho-jun (second baseman). Alvin Rodriguez started for Lotte.'

'Kiwoom took the early lead. In the top of the 1st inning with two outs and no runners on base, An Chi-hong hit a 2nd pitch (132 km/h sweeper) from Rodriguez, which had come in after a 1-strike count, sending it over the left-field wall. This was An Chi-hong's 2nd home run of the season, with a hit distance of 115 meters.'

'However, Lotte immediately tied the game in the 2nd inning. Leadoff batter Yoon Dong-hee reached base with a single to left field. After Yu Gangnam struck out, Jeon Min-jae hit a sacrifice double to left field, tying the score at 1-1. In the bottom of the 4th, Yoon Dong-hee drew a walk, and Yu Gangnam hit a sacrifice double to center-left field, giving Lotte a 2-1 lead.'

'Kiwoom regained the lead in the top of the 5th. After one out, Im Ji-yeol drew a walk after an 8-pitch at-bat against Rodriguez. Next, Choi Ju-hwan was out on a shortstop's fielder's choice, but Im Byung-wook hit a 2-run home run to center-left field, making it 3-2. This was the moment Im Byung-wook's first hit of the season turned into a home run. The hit distance was 120 meters.'

'In the bottom of the 7th, Lotte tied the game again. Leadoff batter Jang Du-seong was hit by a pitch, putting a runner on base. Rayes then hit a ground ball to left field, resulting in a runner on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Next, Noh Jin-hyuk hit a ground ball to the shortstop, resulting in a double play, but Jang Du-seong scored, tying the game at 3-3.'

'However, Kiwoom pulled ahead again in the top of the 8th. After one out, Lee Hyung-jong drew a walk against Choi I-jun. An Chi-hong then hit a single to left field, and Kim Geon-hee drew a walk, loading the bases. During the play on Kim Ji-seok's ground ball to the pitcher, the throw from Hyun Do-hoon to home plate went wide. Lee Hyung-jong, the runner from 3rd, and An Chi-hong, the runner from 2nd, both scored, extending Kiwoom's lead to 5-3.'

'Lotte did not give up. In the bottom of the 8th, leadoff batter Yoon Dong-hee hit a double down the left-field line, creating a scoring opportunity. Although Yu Gangnam was out on a catcher's foul fly and Jeon Min-jae struck out, Park Seung-wook hit a 141 km/h fastball from Kim Jae-woong, which had come in after a 1-strike count, over the right-field wall for a home run. The score was now 5-5.'

'The winner of the intense battle was Kiwoom. In the top of the 11th, leadoff batter Choi Ju-hwan hit a double to left field. Im Byung-wook then executed a sacrifice bunt, resulting in a runner on 3rd with one out. Oh Seon-jin then hit a surprise bunt single, allowing pinch-runner Song Ji-hoo to score, giving Kiwoom a 6-5 lead. In the bottom of the 11th, Lotte had opportunities with consecutive walks to Jang Du-seong and Rayes, but they failed to score and hung their heads in defeat.'

'Kiwoom truly caught the big fish. Starter Oh Seok-joo of Kiwoom held strong for 3⅓ innings, allowing 5 hits, striking out 3 batters, and giving up 2 earned runs. On the other hand, Lotte starter Rodriguez allowed 4 hits (2 home runs) and gave up 3 earned runs, but he did not earn the win.'

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*This content was translated by AI.