'With bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning, Choi Jun-yong was brought in.' Manager Kim Tae-hyung's firm statement: "I didn't hesitate. The strongest pitcher must enter." Can he reach 800 wins after three setbacks? [Busan Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

"What is there to hesitate about?"

Leading 2-0, Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung (59) called upon closer Kim Won-jung early despite reliever Hyun Do-hoon, who was brought in with bases loaded and no outs in the top of the eighth inning on three walks, managing to increase the count with a strikeout. Although the outcome was the worst possible, Kim stated firmly that it was an unavoidable decision.

On the 7th, ahead of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game against the Hanwha Eagles at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, Manager Kim Tae-hyung met with reporters to explain the previous day's situation.

Lotte took a 2-0 lead and controlled the game thanks to strong pitching from temporary starter Lee Min-seok and a go-ahead two-run home run by Ko Seung-min, but faced a crisis in the eighth inning.

Park Jeong-min allowed three consecutive walks, loading the bases with no outs. Hyun Do-hoon struck out slugger Moon Hyun-bin, providing some relief, but when Noh Si-hwan came to bat, manager Kim Tae-hyung called upon closer Choi Jun-yong. It was not an impossible situation, as Choi had pitched two-thirds of an inning in the game against the KIA Tigers on the 2nd and had taken three days of rest. Moreover, given Choi's strong history against Noh Si-hwan, the decision was understandable.

However, the result was ultimately a failure. Choi's first pitch to Noh Si-hwan, a 149 km/h fastball, was hit right down the middle, resulting in a two-run, game-tying sacrifice fly. He also allowed a large double to the gap in left-center field to Heo In-seo, surrendering a 4-2 lead.

The momentum completely shifted. Unable to score any additional runs, Lotte also committed a defensive error in the top of the ninth inning, allowing three more runs and suffering a painful defeat.

Nevertheless, Manager Kim Tae-hyung expressed a firm stance on the pitching change. "What is there to hesitate about? The strongest pitcher must enter," he said. "That's why if you get hit, it's over. Do-hoon might have been able to hold the line, but in the end, it's a battle of who has a higher probability of stopping the opponent."

In fact, more decisive than the pitching change was Park Jeong-min's pitching that led to the bases-loaded crisis with three consecutive walks. Manager Kim stated, "Allowing so many walks is a problem we need to consider. His stuff is good, so he should attack aggressively, but he seems to think too much about strikeouts. If the count is favorable, he throws too many breaking balls. His fastball angle is fine, but because he tries to throw it too much to the corners, it ends up missing the zone."

The biggest concern was Oh Jae-won's poor hitting form and his at-bat. "You shouldn't pitch to Oh Jae-won like that," Kim said. "When facing a batter, you should quickly throw breaking balls to get the bat moving, but he tries to strike them out, which doesn't work. You need to see if they are a swing-and-miss type of hitter. In the lower part of the lineup, batters make more contact. Even if they get hit, you should have taken the risk there."

With the three-game losing streak, Manager Kim Tae-hyung's pursuit of his 800th career win was delayed once again. Starting his managerial career with the Doosan Bears in 2015, Manager Kim accumulated 645 wins with Doosan until 2022. Since donning the Lotte uniform and taking the helm again in 2024, he has added 154 more wins. A victory on this day would have made him the seventh manager in history to reach the 800th-win milestone.

Lotte's starting lineup for the day was: Hwang Sung-bin (center field), Ko Seung-min (designated hitter), Victor Reyes (left field), Na Seung-yeop (first base), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Kim Min-seong (third base), Son Ho-young (second base), Jo Se-jin (right field), and Son Seong-bin (catcher). Jeremy Bissell was scheduled to make the starting pitching appearance.

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*This content was translated by AI.