'5th Place and 5G Gap': Lotte, at the Crossroads of a Mid-Table Leap, Self-Destructs Again with Errors! Song Dong-hee's Back-to-Back Home Runs and Kim Jin-wook's Quality Start Overlooked

*This content was translated by AI.

The Lotte Giants lost a game they could not afford to lose, self-destructing due to errors.

On the 27th, at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, Lotte suffered a 7-8 comeback loss to the LG Twins in a regular-season home game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

The game was proceeding smoothly. Kim Jin-wook, who has grown into a left-handed ace, was heading toward a Quality Start Plus (seven or more innings pitched with three or fewer earned runs) after allowing just two runs through six innings.

The lineup also capitalized on opponent errors to provide five runs of support. In particular, the back-to-back home runs by Song Dong-hee (Han Dong-hee and Yoon Dong-hee) in the bottom of the third with one out and a runner on first base offered hope for Lotte's future offense.

These two players are seen as the future of Lotte, and their leadership was expected to unlock explosive power. Han Dong-hee drove a changeup from Lachlan Wells that drifted outside the strike zone, hitting it into the right-field stands. Yoon Dong-hee pulled a high fastball inside the strike zone, sending it into the upper section of the left-field spectator stands.

This was the first time Han Dong-hee, a ninth-year pro, and Yoon Dong-hee, a fifth-year pro, hit home runs in the same game. Naturally, it was also the first time for consecutive batters to hit home runs, and Lotte's back-to-back home runs themselves had not occurred in about three months. The last time Lotte recorded back-to-back home runs was on March 29, when Victor Reyes and Son Ho-young combined for one, serving as evidence of the offense's recent lack of explosiveness.

Even while taking the lead, there were signs of unease. Kim Jin-wook's second run of the third inning was one such example. LG's leadoff batter, Song Chan-ui, reached on a double to left-center field, and Park Hae-min hit a single to right field. However, right fielder Yoon Dong-hee failed to catch the ball on the first try, allowing Song Chan-ui to score immediately. During that time, Park Hae-min advanced to second base.

Fortunately, Kim Jin-wook's strong pitching prevented further runs, but the unease became reality in the top of the seventh. With two outs, Park Hae-min hit a single to right field. During Austin's at-bat, catcher Son Seong-bin repeatedly failed to catch Kim Jin-wook's pitches. Meanwhile, Park Hae-min advanced to third base.

Ultimately, Kim Jin-wook was unable to finish the seventh inning with just one out remaining and was replaced by Hyun Do-hoon. Moon Bo-kyung's hit bounced far over the first-base line. Lotte first baseman Na Seung-yeop successfully fielded the ball, and Hyun Do-hoon appropriately covered first base.

However, Na Seung-yeop's throw to first base, despite being from a short distance, sailed well over Hyun Do-hoon's head. During that time, the runner from third base, Park Hae-min, scored again. Following that, a hit by pinch-hitter Cheon Seong-ho was only fielded by shortstop Jeon Min-jae with difficulty.

Lotte failed to replicate the scene where LG, after allowing four runs in the third inning, saw their relief pitchers maintain scoreless pitching and quickly stabilize the atmosphere. Iimura Shota, a new Asia quota pitcher who entered in the eighth inning, began to waver after two outs, leading to a bases-loaded crisis.

Relief pitcher Choi Jun-yong also surrendered a go-ahead home run to Austin Dean, turning the game around. Unable to recover that run, Lotte suffered a defeat. As a result, Song Dong-hee's back-to-back home runs and Kim Jin-wook's strong pitching were overshadowed.

This is another side of Lotte, currently in first place in the league over the last 10 games (7 wins, 1 tie, 2 losses). At the end of the game on the 27th, Lotte stood at 32 wins, 2 ties, and 41 losses, sitting in eighth place, two games behind seventh-place NC Dinos and 2.5 games behind ninth-place SSG Landers. They are at a crossroads for a mid-table leap, trailing fifth-place Doosan Bears by five games.

With a stable starting rotation, the sluggish hitting cycle is gradually improving. However, continued defensive instability is acting as a shackle on their upward momentum.

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*This content was translated by AI.