'Silence of a 20-year-old rookie with two hits': Lotte's night special report fails to turn the tide despite foreign pitcher throwing 115 pitches... SSG wins 5-2 [Busan On-the-Ground Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Despite conducting a night special report, the Lotte Giants' lineup remained ineffective for two consecutive days.

SSG Landers defeated Lotte 5-2 in an away game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 23rd.

With this result, ninth-place SSG achieved a winning series with two wins and one loss, recording 34 wins, three draws, and 56 losses. Lotte, now in a losing streak, remains in eighth place with 40 wins, two draws, and 49 losses.

The outstanding performance of SSG's rookie Kim Min-jun (20) rendered the nearly two-hour night special report on Lotte from the previous day futile. Kim Min-jun threw a total of 95 pitches, including a fastball reaching up to 149 km/h (48 pitches), slider (21 pitches), forkball (16 pitches), and curveball (10 pitches), pitching six scoreless innings with two hits allowed, three walks, and five strikeouts. This marked his second quality start of the season (six or more innings pitched with three or fewer earned runs), securing his third win (with two losses) of the season.

In the lineup, Kim Jae-hwan contributed with three at-bats, two hits (including one home run), one RBI, one run scored, and one walk. His home run in the bottom of the third inning marked his sixth career home run against all KBO teams this season. Individually, it was his fifth time hitting a home run against every team since his days with the Doosan Bears in 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2024. Additionally, Jo Hyung-woo performed well with three at-bats, two hits, and two RBIs.

The powerful pitching effort of Lotte's starting pitcher Alvin Rodriguez, who threw 115 pitches, was overshadowed by a lineup limited to just two hits from the 20th-year-old rookie. Rodriguez pitched six innings, allowing seven hits (including one home run), three walks, and striking out seven batters while giving up three earned runs, but suffered his seventh loss of the season (with five wins). Although Lotte managed to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, their scattered seven hits were not enough to avoid a second consecutive loss.

On this day, Lotte arranged its batting order as follows: Hwang Sung-bin (center fielder), Go Seung-min (second baseman), Victor Reyes (right fielder), Han Dong-hee (designated hitter), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Han Tae-yang (third baseman), Jeon Jun-woo (left fielder), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), and Son Seong-bin (catcher). The starting pitcher was Alvin Rodriguez.

In response, SSG set its lineup as: Jung Jun-jae (second baseman), Park Sung-han (shortstop), Bly Madris (left fielder), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Jeon Ui-san (first baseman), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Jo Hyung-woo (catcher), Im Geun-woo (right fielder), and Hongdae-in (third baseman). The starting pitcher was Kim Min-jun.

Similar to the previous day, SSG began accumulating runs early in the game. In the top of the first inning, leadoff batter Jung Jun-jae recorded a single to left field, followed by Park Sung-han hitting an RBI triple that cleared the right-field fence for the first run. In the top of the second, Choi Ji-hoon drew a walk, and Jo Hyung-woo hit a double into center-left field, creating a bases-loaded opportunity with no outs. Im Geun-woo grounded into a double play, allowing Choi Ji-hoon to score from third base.

Kim Jae-hwan recorded RBIs for two consecutive days. In the bottom of the third inning with two outs, he connected with Rodriguez's fourth pitch and hit a solo home run over the right-field wall. SSG sealed the game in the top of the eighth inning with one out and runners on first and second when Jo Hyung-woo hit a large two-RBI double toward the center-field fence.

Lotte continued to struggle with an unproductive flow. Captain Jeon Jun-woo was substituted mid-game after a poor performance. In the bottom of the second inning with one out and a runner on first, Jeon grounded into a double play. In the bottom of the fourth, he recorded a foul pop-up at first base and was eventually replaced by Yoon Dong-hee before the top of the fifth inning defense began.

Other batters also struggled similarly. Han Dong-hee struck out looking on a third-strike pitch from the catcher with two outs and bases loaded in the bottom of the third, dampening Lotte's momentum. In the bottom of the ninth, consecutive hits by Han Dong-hee, Na Seung-yeop, and Park Seung-wook created a bases-loaded opportunity with no outs. However, Yoon Dong-hee grounded into a double play at shortstop, limiting Lotte to just one run. Later, Noh Jin-hyuk added another run with an RBI single to left field.

However, the chase ended when Park Geon-woo drew a walk and Hwang Sung-bin hit a ground ball to second base against reliever Jo Byung-hyun.

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*This content was translated by AI.