*This content was translated by AI.
Lee Beom-ho (45), the skipper of the KIA Tigers, did not blame his players.
On the 25th, KIA secured a walk-off comeback victory in the bottom of the 9th inning with an 8-5 score against Lotte Giants in their regular-season home game at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.
With this win, KIA recorded 61 wins, 50 losses, and 2 draws, maintaining sole possession of fourth place in the league. They successfully escaped a two-game losing streak and held a 0.5-game gap behind third-place LG Twins.
KIA suffered a shocking comeback defeat in their final game last week. In an away match against Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 23rd, they led 7-2 but allowed six runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, ultimately losing 7-8.
Especially painful was Lee Ui-ri allowing a walk-off bases-loaded home run after recently showing excellent form.
At that time, reliever Lee Tae-yang entered the game with a five-run lead. He gave up a ground-rule double to leadoff hitter Kwon Hyuk-bin. The following pinch-hitter Lee Hyung-jong flew out to center field. However, Seo Geon-chang and Choo Jae-hyun hit consecutive singles to load the bases.
KIA then sent in Lee Ui-ri, who had rested during both previous games against Kiwoom. Yet, Kiwoom's lineup remained persistent against him. Davidson's two-run single narrowed the gap to 4-7, a three-run deficit. An Chi-hong drew a walk to load the bases again for Kiwoom. With Lee Dong-wook striking out as a pinch-hitter, Kim Jae-hyun stepped up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. Kim Jae-hyun then unleashed a walk-off comeback grand slam against Lee Ui-ri, handing KIA a painful defeat.
Taking a day off, ahead of the match on the 25th, skipper Lee Beom-ho of KIA said, "(The players) probably weren't shocked by this kind of game happening just once or twice," adding, "They must have thought such games happen too."
He continued, "I think I made a mistake in deciding the timing to bring (Lee) Ui-ri into the game. It might have been fine if we had brought him in during an easier situation; the timing was just off," showing the true image of a leader who did not blame his players but took responsibility for his own decision.
Manager Lee stated, "I think Ui-ri pitched well enough. He has been performing well enough. Players should forget the game once it ends. I believe it is our job as the coaching staff to rethink and reflect on that. The players just need to prepare accordingly. We will calmly check those areas again and prepare so such things do not happen in the next game, which I think is most important for the remaining games. Both I and the coaching staff must prepare well to ensure we can play the rest of the games without errors."
And on the 25th, when these remarks were made, KIA overcame the shock of a walk-off comeback bases-loaded home run and wrote a miracle drama that day. In the bottom of the 9th inning with the team trailing 4-5, manager Lee Beom-ho inserted pinch-hitter Lee Ho-yeon with two outs and the bases loaded. This turned out to be a brilliant move. Lee Ho-yeon hit a walk-off comeback bases-loaded home run against Lotte closer Kim Won-jung. For the first time in 45 years of KBO League history, a team that allowed a walk-off comeback bases-loaded home run bounced back in the next game by hitting a walk-off comeback bases-loaded home run to secure victory.
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*This content was translated by AI.
