Description
Lotte Giants and KT Wiz couldn't decide the game.
The two teams played the first game of a double header at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 21st, and the game ended in a 9-9 draw.
The two teams were mentioned as favorites to win the title before the opening of the season. However, not many predicted that the two teams would rank ninth and 10th ahead of the three consecutive games. As such, the early moves of the two teams were shocking.
Lotte won the first round match held on Wednesday. The team remained in 10th place, but erased its tie with KT, which ranked ninth. It was ranked 10th by a difference in winning percentage. In other words, if they won the first round of the doubleheader, they could have reversed their rankings.
It was a tight race, a game that had to be won even if it died. Lotte dominated the lead. No. 2 Hwang Sung-bin hit a surprise first solo shot against KT ace Cuevas. Hwang Sung-bin, whose main weapon is contact ability and fast feet, was his second surprise shot since his professional debut in 2022. It was a home run that made manager Kim Tae-hyung laugh.
KT turned the game around in the third inning. 토토 With Kim Sang-soo's walk and a chance to hit a runner on the second and third bases with one out, Kim Min-hyuk made an RBI grounder. Then Kang Baek-ho, who appeared afterwards, hit a huge superiority double to bring in Cheonseong-ho.
Then, Lotte tied the game in the third inning. Hwang hit an RBI ground ball in the same way as Kim Min-hyuk when he had a chance to hit an infield grounder with one out and runners on the second and third bases.
KT ran away again. Kim Min-hyuk's timely hit came out in the fifth inning. Lotte did not stay put. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Hwang hit another homerun off Cuevas as if he was going to make a "life game." It was the moment when he hit his first multi-pointer and recorded the most three RBIs in a game.
And the game between the two teams fluctuated again in the seventh inning. KT seemed to bring the game easily. Lotte deployed Jeon Mir, a rookie of the must-win group, following starter Wilkerson, which resulted in a shocking result. Jeon Mir allowed a timely RBI single to Cheonseong-ho. The runner was re-stacked due to an error in which first baseman Jung Hoon missed Kim Min-hyuk's ground ball, and Moon Sang-cheol got a walk to push out of the crisis with the bases loaded. Lotte replaced the pitcher with Kim Sang-soo, but Jang Sung-woo, an experienced player, did not miss the first pitch of the changed pitcher, creating a grand slam.
However, Lotte also displayed impressive performance by garnering two consecutive wins after eight consecutive losses. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the team scored six runs just like its counterpart, KT. When the score gap widened, the team garnered sovereignty in lieu of Kim Min-soo and Park Si-young. However, Lotte had a hit, error, and walk, and even got a three-run homerun by Son Ho-young. Lotte deployed Park Si-young belatedly, but Park failed to throw a strike. Kim Min-soo also joined the team, but allowed Choi Hang to make a timely hit.
KT's leadoff Cho Yong-ho got on base with a walk in the eighth inning, but Kim Sang-soo hit a double play. Lotte also hit a double after two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but the score was blocked by KT closer Park Young-hyun.
The two teams failed to score even in the ninth inning. According to the doubleheader rule, both the first and second rounds had no extra time, so they ended the game with a 9 to 9 draw. It was a bloody battle of "last place."