There are no sanctuaries. It’s summer. We can’t wait any longer.
The Lotte Giants are different. It is not a ‘baseball of faith’ that relies on the experience of veterans. They make cold judgments and make decisions quickly.
This was the case against the KIA Tigers in Busan on March 3, when Lotte made a series of bold decisions and turned a 0-3 deficit into a 6-5 victory.
Apart from the game, it was the quick and bold decisions of the Lotte bench that stood out.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, down 0-3, Lotte put together a walk, a hit, an error, and a hit batter to load the bases. They were in desperate need of a run. Han Dong-hee stepped up to the plate.
However, Han hasn’t been the same player she was last year. In her first at-bat, she hit a clean line drive to center field, but in this at-bat, she hit a 643.
Lotte had another chance to rally in the bottom of the sixth inning. Leadoff hitter Jeon Jun-woo reached on a lucky double, and Ahn Chi-hong followed with a walk to bring down KIA starter Medina, who had been pitching well.
However, Yoon Dong-hee and Noh Jin-hyuk followed with back-to-back singles. With runners on first and second, Han Dong-hee walked. LOTTE manager Larry Sutton turned to pinch-hitter Go Seung-min.
He drew a walk to load the bases, and Yoo Kang-nam followed with a two-run double down the right field line. Lotte cut the deficit to 2-3.
Kia manager Kim Jong-kook brought up left-handed pitcher Lee Jun-young to face the next batter, Kim Min-seok, but Lotte made one 토토사이트 more twist: they brought in their “left-handed killer,” Jung Hoon. Jeong Hoon answered the bench’s expectations with a three-run, game-tying double.
The mound operation of pitching coach Bae Young-soo, who was appointed this year, is also characterized by quick and bold decisions. LOTTE fans affectionately call it “baseball of disbelief” with affection and faith.
It continued on this day. In the top of the eighth inning, Kim Jin-wook, the third pitcher, gave up a single to Choi Hyung-woo, the first batter, and was replaced without delay. The next pitcher, Kim Sang-soo, allowed the tying run to score, and with runners on first and third, Kim Won-joong, the closer, was able to get out of the jam.
In the bottom of the ninth, Park Seung-wook, Jeon Jun-woo, and Ahn Chi-hong drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for the third time. One out later, Noh Jin-hyuk stepped up to the plate.
Despite striking out twice earlier, Noh has been one of the team’s most productive hitters this year and has been particularly strong at the plate. Noh put an end to the long game with a hard-hitting shot over the right field fence.