Lotte's trade-blessed player hits his 8th game-winning hit already! "I want to try for double-digit home runs"

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants wrote a miraculous comeback drama against "league-leading" Samsung Lions, breaking their four-game losing streak. With a heavy shadow of a four-game skid looming over them in the top of the 9th inning, Lotte displayed fierce resilience to secure a thrilling comeback victory. At the center of it all was undoubtedly Jeon Min-jae (27), the "trade-blessed player."

On the 19th, during an away game against Samsung Lions at DaeguSamsung Lions Park, Lotte trailed 8-7 in the top of the 9th with two outs. A tying hit by pinch hitter Noh Jin-hyuk and a three-run go-ahead game-winning hit by Jeon Min-jae propelled them to a thrilling 11-8 victory. This win allowed Lotte to escape the brink of a four-game losing streak, securing their first valuable victory in just three games during the second half of the season.

In fact, Lotte had taken an early lead of 7-3. However, starting pitcher Kim Jin-wook faced unexpected trouble when he was replaced faster than anticipated after facing the first batter in the bottom of the 6th inning. Ultimately, they allowed four runs in the 7th to tie the game at 7-7 and were even overtaken 8-7 in the bottom of the 8th.

If they had lost here, it would have meant a perfect record against them in the second half and a four-game losing streak—a life-or-death crisis. But their counterattack in the top of the 9th was fierce. Starting with Go Seung-min's double to second base, pinch hitter Noh Jin-hyuk delivered a clean two-run single to tie the game at 8-8. With two outs and bases loaded following that, Jeon Min-jae stepped up to the plate.

With a count of one ball and two strikes, Jeon Min-jae connected with pitcher Lee Seung-min's fourth pitch—a 146 km/h fastball. The ball dropped between Kim Sung-yoon and Kim Hyun-jun in center-left field, resulting in a lucky three-run double. Officially recorded as Jeon Min-jae's game-winning hit, this marked his eighth RBI of the season that secured a win for Lotte.

After the game, when interviewed by reporters about the 9th-inning hit, Jeon Min-jae said, "At first, I thought the ball had disappeared into the glove and was caught. But seeing it rolling, I kept running while thinking, 'Please drop, please drop.'" He added with a relieved smile, "I felt like even luck was on my side." Recently concerned about being late on fastballs, he noted, "This time too, my timing was slightly off, so it was a lucky hit, but I'm really happy about it."

Jeon Min-jae is currently known among Lotte fans as the "trade-blessed player." He has firmly established himself as Lotte's key hitter, even competing fiercely for the batting title in the 2025 season. In fact, Jeon Min-jae changed uniforms through a major trade between Doosan Bears and Lotte Giants in November 2024. At that time, he moved to Lotte along with Jung Cheol-won, while Choi Woo-in, Choo Jae-hyun, and Kim Min-seok went to Doosan in a 2-for-3 blockbuster deal. While rookie of the year Jung Cheol-won and Lotte's first-round prospect Kim Min-seok were expected to be the core of the trade, it turned out that Jeon Min-jae was the one who brought the greatest fortune to Lotte.

Notably, Jeon Min-jae had hit three consecutive home runs in three games last May and is now reportedly focusing more on contact hitting rather than power. His last home run came on June 17 against SSG Landers, and he has been stuck at eight home runs for over a month. However, he stated, "My batting balance hasn't been great recently, and I'm worried that trying too hard for home runs might disrupt my hitting cycle, so I'm focusing on contact." He also expressed his wish for his first 10 home runs of the season, saying, "Still, I want to try for double-digit home runs this year."

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*This content was translated by AI.