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

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants failed to break their losing streak due to a heartbreaking error.

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

With this win, 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 in ninth place with 21 wins, 1 tie, and 31 losses.

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 sacrificed to move the runner to second with one out. However, in Han Jun-soo's at-bat, catcher Son Seong-bin missed Choi Jun-yong's fastball, resulting in a runner on third with one out. Han Jun-soo hit a deep fly ball to center field, scoring a sacrifice fly RBI and leading his team to victory.

Lotte starting pitcher Na Gyun-an pitched 6⅓ innings, allowing 5 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts while giving up 3 runs. KIA starting pitcher James Neill pitched 6 innings, allowing 3 hits, 6 walks and hit batters (2 walks, 4 hit batters), striking out 4, and was scoreless. However, neither team could secure the win due to bullpen failures.

In the lineup, leadoff batter Park Jae-hyun went 2-for-4 with 1 RBI, Kim Ho-ryeong went 2-for-4, and Adelin Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with 1 home run and 1 RBI. Na Sung-beom hit a crucial tying home run in the bottom of the 8th while trailing 3-4, laying the foundation for the comeback victory.

KIA's lineup that day was 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), Adelin 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 Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Go 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, Go Seung-min and Reyes reached base with consecutive singles. Following that, Na Seung-yeop's hit was fielded cleanly by Neill, who threw to second base, resulting in a double play with shortstop Kim Gyu-seong. In the top of the 2nd, leadoff batter Jeon Min-jae created an opportunity with a single to left field, but Kim Dong-hyun grounded into a double play with a ground ball to first base.

KIA took the early lead with a home run. In the bottom of the 2nd with one out, Adelin hit Na Gyun-an's 146 km/h high fastball over the center field fence for a 135-meter solo home run. It was his 9th 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 on a ground ball hit by Na Sung-beom. It was unfortunate that Lotte first baseman Na Seung-yeop's throw came in too low. Fortunately, Na Sung-beom pulled 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 and was replaced by Kim Se-min, resulting in an injured player. Lotte failed to convert continued base runners into runs. In the top of the 5th with one out, Hwang Seong-bin reached on a hit-by-pitch, followed by a stolen base to second, Go Seung-min's automatic intentional walk, and Reyes' ground ball, creating a runner on first and third with two outs. However, Na Seung-yeop hit a ground ball to third base, and the scoreless streak continued.

Eventually, KIA added another run. In the bottom of the 7th, Kim Ho-ryeong's single to left field, Kim Tae-gun's walk, and Kim Gyu-seong's sacrifice bunt created a runner on second and third with one out. Following relief pitcher Hong Min-gi's wild pitch, Park Jae-hyun's two-run single to center field broke the game open, putting KIA ahead 3-0.

Lotte turned the frustrating momentum around in one fell swoop. Trailing 0-3 in the top of the 8th with one out, Na Seung-yeop drew a walk, and Kim Dong-hyun sprinted on a ground ball to create a scoring opportunity at first and second. From there, Son Ho-young 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 runner on first and third with two outs. Jang Du-seong stole second base, and Son Seong-bin hit a two-run single to left-center field, creating a 4-3 lead.

However, Na Sung-beom immediately hit a solo home run over the center field fence off relief pitcher Jeong Cheol-won in the bottom of the 8th, tying the game at 4-4. The long battle ended in the bottom of the 9th when Han Jun-soo hit a sacrifice fly to center field for an RBI, starting from a runner on third with one out due to Lotte catcher Son Seong-bin's error, securing the victory for KIA.

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*This content was translated by AI.