'Allowed a tie in the bottom of the 9th → Choi Won-young's go-ahead run' LG, clinging to the brink, revives hope for 3rd place! KIA chases by 0.5 games... Reyes sets new KBO history with 205 hits [Busan On-Site Review]

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The LG Twins overcame a grueling battle to defeat the Lotte Giants, reviving their slim hope for third place.

In an away game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season held at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium on the 10th, LG defeated Lotte 4-3 after a tense extra-inning showdown.

With this, fourth-place LG improved to a record of 78 wins, 1 draw, and 64 losses, narrowing the gap with third-place KIA (77 wins, 2 draws, 62 losses), who had not yet started their game, to 0.5 games. Lotte fell back to eighth place with a record of 62 wins, 3 draws, and 77 losses, trailing the NC Dinos (63 wins, 2 draws, 78 losses) in winning percentage as the latter began their game at 5 p.m.

LG, whose chance to secure third place on its own had vanished following a loss the previous day, survived on the brink of elimination. Had they lost to Lotte that day and KIA subsequently defeated the SSG Landers shortly after, LG could have found itself in an even more disadvantageous position in the race for third.

If KIA wins both its game against SSG on the 10th and against Lotte on the 11th, it will record a winning percentage of 0.556 with a record of 79 wins, 2 draws, and 63 losses, even if it loses to LG in their final regular-season matchup on the 12th. Even if LG beats Lotte today and also defeats KIA on the 12th, its highest possible winning percentage would be 0.552 with a record of 79 wins, 1 draw, and 64 losses.

However, by securing a win today, LG has kept the flame of the race for third place alive. Depending on the results of KIA's games against SSG on the 10th and Lotte on the 11th, the final regular-season showdown between LG and KIA in Gwangju on the 12th could still determine who claims third place and a direct ticket to the playoffs.

The turning point came in the top of the 10th inning. With one out, Moon Jung-bin reached base on a deep infield hit to shortstop. He was replaced by pinch runner Choi Won-young, and Moon Bo-kyung drove in a single to left field to put runners on first and third. From there, Song Chan-ui attacked Sota Iimura's first pitch, producing a strong ground ball, at which moment Choi Won-young swept home. The hard-earned run was protected by Lee Woo-chan, who took the mound in the bottom of the 10th to record one scoreless inning, allowing LG to narrowly secure the victory.

In the LG lineup, Moon Jung-bin truly put on a one-man show. Starting as the fourth batter and first baseman, Moon recorded five hits in five at-bats, two RBIs, and one run scored, including the go-ahead hit, to lead his team to victory. It was his first career game with five hits. Shin Min-jae, returning to the starting lineup after four days off, contributed three hits in four at-bats and one run, while Song Chan-ui added two hits in five at-bats and two RBIs, including the go-ahead hit.

In terms of innings pitched by starters, Lotte's Na Gyun-an had the edge. LG's Anders Tolhurst threw 69 pitches to record five innings, four hits allowed, no walks or strikeouts, and one run allowed. Na Gyun-an threw 119 pitches for seven innings, seven hits allowed, two walks, five strikeouts, and three runs allowed, marking his 11th quality start plus (seven or more innings with three or fewer earned runs) of the season.

However, lacking offensive support, Na Gyun-an took the loss, dropping to a record of six wins and 12 losses for the season. Nevertheless, he completed his final regular-season start while achieving his first career complete games threshold (qualifying innings). In the Lotte lineup, Han Dong-hee fought valiantly with three hits in four at-bats and one run scored, the only player to record a multi-hit game. Reyes reached base on a single in four at-bats, recording his 205th hit of the season to set a new KBO record for most hits.

LG's lineup featured Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin Dean (designated hitter), Moon Jung-bin (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Song Chan-ui (left fielder), Koo Bon-hyuk (shortstop), Lee Ju-heon (catcher), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). Anders Tolhurst started on the mound.

Facing them, Lotte's lineup consisted of Hwang Seong-bin (left fielder), Victor Reyes (designated hitter), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Han Dong-hee (third baseman), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Son Seong-bin (catcher), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), and Jang Doo-seong (center fielder). Na Gyun-an started on the mound.

The visiting LG team scored first. In the top of the second inning, leadoff batter Moon Jung-bin hit a double to left-center field. Song Chan-ui followed with a large double into left field, bringing Moon home.

Lotte matched the score in the same manner. In the bottom of the second, leadoff batter Han Dong-hee reached base on a home-run-like double off the top of the left field fence, and Ko Seung-min drove him in with a double along the right field line.

LG took the lead again, with Moon Jung-bin serving as the go-to hitter. In the top of the third, leadoff batter Shin Min-jae hit a single to center field, and Hong Chang-ki drew a walk to create a run-scoring opportunity with runners on first and second and no outs. Park Hae-min popped out to shortstop, and Austin Dean lined out to third base, but Moon Jung-bin broke the tie with a one-RBI sacrifice fly to left field.

In the top of the fifth, with two outs and a runner on first, Moon Jung-bin attacked Na Gyun-an's outside first-pitch fastball, smashing a large double over the right fielder's head that struck the fence directly. The runner from first reached home, extending LG's lead to 3-1.

Amidst a tightly contested game that went on until the end, a historic KBO milestone was also achieved. In the bottom of the seventh with two outs and a runner on first, Reyes lifted Ko Woo-seok's forkball for a single to center field. It was Reyes' 205th hit of the season, marking the moment he reclaimed the KBO single-season record for most hits from Choi Won-jun (KT Wiz) three days earlier.

The razor-thin contest continued. In the top of the seventh, LG failed to score despite placing runners on second base twice. In the top of the eighth, Moon Jung-bin again reached base on a single to left field and advanced to third on bunts and ground balls by subsequent hitters. However, Koo Bon-hyuk popped out to right field, maintaining the two-run lead.

LG ultimately allowed the tying run. In the bottom of the ninth with one out, Jang Doo-seong hit a double along the left field line, pinch hitter Jeon Jun-woo drew a walk, and Reyes grounded into second base to create a two-out, runners-on-second-and-third opportunity. From there, Na Seung-yeop hit a two-RBI single to left field against Son Ju-young, tying the game at 3-3. However, Lee Woo-chan protected the one run scored in the top of the 10th until the end, securing the victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original