In the bottom of the 9th with one out and a runner on second base, why did he drop the ball! Son Seong-bin's heartbreaking error... KIA escapes three-game losing streak by defeating Lotte 5-4 [Gwangju On-site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants failed to escape a losing streak due to a heartbreaking error.

KIA defeated Lotte 5-4 in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 2nd.

With this victory, KIA escaped a three-game losing streak, improving to 29 wins, 1 tie, and 25 losses, securing fourth place. Conversely, Lotte fell into a three-game losing streak, remaining at 21 wins, 1 tie, and 31 losses, holding ninth place.

The game, heated up by Lotte's late rally, ended in the bottom of the 9th. Leadoff batter Kim Gyu-seong drew a walk, and Park Jae-hyun laid down a sacrifice bunt to create a one-out, runner on second situation. However, during Han Jun-soo's at-bat, catcher Son Seong-bin dropped Choi Jun-yong's pitch, moving the runner to third base with one out. Han Jun-soo then hit a deep fly ball to center field, leading the team to victory.

Lotte's starting pitcher Na Gyun-an pitched 6⅓ innings, allowing 5 hits (including 1 home run), 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts, while giving up 3 earned runs, taking his sixth loss of the season (with 2 wins). Despite his effort to hold on, his strong performance was overshadowed by two double plays, a hitless lineup with only four hits, and a bullpen that failed to support him.

KIA's starting pitcher James Neill pitched 6 innings, allowing 3 hits, 6 walks and hit-by-pitches (2 walks, 4 hit-by-pitches), striking out 4 batters, and remaining scoreless, achieving his third win of the season (with 5 losses). Despite issuing a season-high four walks and hit-by-pitches in a single game, he managed to keep the team in the lead without allowing any runs.

In the lineup, leadoff batter Park Jae-hyun went 2-for-4 with 1 RBI, Kim Ho-ryeong went 2-for-3, and Adellin Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with 1 home run and 1 RBI, contributing significantly.

On this day, KIA set its batting order as follows: Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Han Jun-soo (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Adellin Rodriguez (first baseman), Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Kim Gyu-seong (shortstop). The starting pitcher was James Neill.

Lotte countered with the following lineup: Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), Victor Reyes (designated hitter), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Kim Dong-hyun (left fielder), Son Ho-young (third baseman), Jang Du-seong (right fielder), and Son Seong-bin (catcher). The starting pitcher was Na Gyun-an.

In the top of the 1st with one out, Ko Seung-min and Reyes reached base with consecutive singles. Following this, Na Seung-yeop's ground ball was fielded cleanly by Neill, who threw to second base, where shortstop Kim Gyu-seong turned a double play. In the top of the 2nd, leadoff batter Jeon Min-jae reached base with a single to left field, but Kim Dong-hyun grounded into a double play to first base, squandering the opportunity.

KIA took the early lead with a home run. In the bottom of the 2nd with one out, Adellin Rodriguez connected with Na Gyun-an's 146 km/h high fastball, hitting a solo home run over the center field fence for a distance of 135 meters. This was his ninth home run of the season.

A tense situation unfolded in the bottom of the 3rd. With two outs and a runner on second, Na Gyun-an collided with Na Sung-beom while covering the base after fielding a ground ball. It was unfortunate that the throw from Lotte's first baseman, Na Seung-yeop, came in too low. Fortunately, Na Sung-beom managed to pull Na Gyun-an down, preventing a serious fall, and no injury occurred.

However, in the top of the 4th with one out and a runner on first, Jeon Min-jae was hit by Neill's two-seam fastball on his left hand and was replaced by Kim Se-min, resulting in an injury. Lotte failed to convert their continued base runners into runs. In the top of the 5th with one out, Hwang Seong-bin reached base on a hit-by-pitch, followed by a stolen base to second, an automatic intentional walk to Ko Seung-min, and a ground ball by Reyes, creating a two-out, runners on first and third situation. However, Na Seung-yeop grounded out to third base, ending the rally.

Eventually, KIA added another run. In the bottom of the 7th, after Kim Ho-ryeong's single to left field, Kim Tae-gun drew a walk, and Kim Gyu-seong laid down a sacrifice bunt to create a one-out, runners on second and third situation. Following a wild pitch by reliever Hong Min-gi, Park Jae-hyun hit a two-run single to center field, giving KIA a 3-0 lead.

Lotte quickly turned the tide. In the top of the 8th with one out and trailing 0-3, Na Seung-yeop drew a walk, and Kim Dong-hyun sprinted on a ground ball to create a scoring opportunity with runners on first and second. Son Ho-young then hit a two-run double down the left-field line.

Another error gave Lotte another chance. Jang Du-seong's hit was not fielded by Kim Sun-bin, resulting in a two-out, runners on first and third situation. Jang Du-seong stole second base, and Son Seong-bin hit a two-run single to left-center field, taking a 4-3 lead.

However, Na Sung-beom immediately hit a solo home run over the center field fence against reliever Jeong Cheol-won in the bottom of the 8th, tying the game at 4-4. The long contest ended tragically due to an error by Lotte catcher Son Seong-bin.

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*This content was translated by AI.