'Turned the 0-8 game around': Lotte hits grand slam with Han Dong-hee → 13 runs in the 7th inning, explosive rally! Crushes Kiwoom 15-9... New club record for 'most runs in an inning', 2nd all-time in KBO history

*This content was translated by AI.

The Lotte Giants set a historic record in KBO history by scoring 13 runs in a single inning, turning around an 0-8 deficit to secure a victory.

On the 18th, Lotte defeated Kiwoom Heroes 15-10 in a regular-season home game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With this win, eighth-place Lotte has won two straight games, improving to 47 wins, 2 ties, and 57 losses, narrowing the gap with seventh-place NC Dinos, who also lost on the same day, by 1.5 games. The last-place Kiwoom remained at 40 wins, 2 ties, and 69 losses.

The turning point of the game was undoubtedly the bottom of the 7th inning when Lotte trailed 0-8. Facing reliever Park Jeong-hoon, leadoff batter Jeon Min-jae drew a walk, and Jang Du-seong reached base on a shortstop fielding error. After Park Jeong-hoon issued a straight fastball walk to Son Seong-bin, causing significant disruption, Kiwoom brought in Bae Dong-hyun.

However, Hwang Sung-bin ignored the situation and targeted the first pitch, driving a two-run double down the left-field line to ignite the comeback. Na Seung-yeop drew a walk, and Victor Reyes followed with a one-run single up the middle to load the bases again as Han Dong-hee stepped into the batter's box.

Han Dong-hee had struck out in a bases-loaded, two-out situation in the bottom of the 3rd inning earlier, leaving behind regret, but he redeemed himself this time. He crushed Bae Dong-hyun's high fastball over the right-field fence for a grand slam, instantly cutting the deficit to one run. The shot traveled 130 meters with a batted-ball speed of 169.1 km/h, marking his 15th home run of the season. Lotte closed the gap to 7-8.

From that moment on, Kiwoom collapsed rapidly. They replaced the pitcher with Park Ji-sung and managed to escape the crisis by striking out Go Seung-min and inducing a flyout to right field from Yoon Dong-hee. However, Jeon Min-jae and Jang Du-seong followed with consecutive hits to create another opportunity, and Son Seong-bin hit a two-run double down the left-center gap against reliever Won Jong-hyun.

The rally did not end there. Hwang Sung-bin again singled to left field with two outs and runners on first and third, creating a scoring chance. Na Seung-yeop followed with a one-run single up the middle, Reyes hit a two-run double down the left-center gap, and Han Dong-hee added a one-run single up the middle, as Lotte scored 13 runs in total.

According to KBO records, Lotte's 13-run inning stands as the second-highest total in KBO history, tied for second place. The top spot belongs to an April 7, 2019 game against Busan Hanwha Eagles, where Lotte was on the receiving end of a massive outburst. At that time, Hanwha scored 16 runs in just the top of the 3rd inning, defeating Lotte 16-1.

However, Lotte erased some of those painful memories by setting a new club record for most runs in an inning at the same venue. The previous club record for most runs in an inning was 11, set during a June 28, 1995 game against Daegu Samsung Lions and again on October 4, 2011 against Busan Hanwha.

Later, Lotte sealed the victory with a two-run home run by Son Seong-bin over the left-field fence in the bottom of the 8th inning with one out and a runner on second base. Lotte recorded a total of 16 hits, with Han Dong-hee going 2-for-5 (1 home run) with 5 RBIs and 1 run scored, while Reyes went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs, 2 walks, and 2 runs scored, fulfilling their roles as the core of the lineup.

Hwang Sung-bin went 2-for-6 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored, Go Seung-min went 2-for-5, Jang Du-seong went 3-for-5 with 3 runs scored, and Son Seong-bin went 3-for-3 (1 home run) with 4 RBIs, 2 walks, and 3 runs scored, delivering a powerful performance. Thanks to this offensive explosion, Lotte's starting pitcher Jeremy Bissell avoided the loss despite allowing 10 hits (including 2 home runs), issuing 1 walk, striking out 8 batters over 6 innings while giving up 8 runs (7 earned).

For Kiwoom, it was a bitter disappointment as they had held an 8-0 lead that was completely overturned. In particular, starting pitcher Jeon Jun-pyo delivered his best performance of the season with 3 hits allowed, 4 walks, and 4 strikeouts over 6 scoreless innings, but he failed to secure his first win of the year.

His efforts were overshadowed by the performances of Seo Geon-chang (3-for-4 with 1 RBI), Choi Jae-hyun (1-for-4 with 1 home run, 1 walk, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs scored), Kim Keon-hee (3-for-4 with 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored), and Won Seong-jun (2-for-4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored).

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*This content was translated by AI.