The birth of a new LG killer. 158km Gamboa 6.2 scoreless innings + Jeon Joon-woo's two-run shot + Kim Min-sung's Quiet Guitar Lotte again 1 game difference
Jul 02, 2025
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Lotte won 5-2 at home against the LG Twins at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 2nd with the concentration of its batters, including starter Gamboa's scoreless pitching and Jeon Joon-woo's two-run shot.
Lotte, which had 44 wins, 3 draws and 35 losses, narrowed the gap again by one game with LG, which had 45 wins, 2 draws and 34 losses. If No. 1 Hanwha lost 0-2 to NC on the day, LG could have tied for first place if it won, but the one-game gap remained the same as the loss.
If Lotte wins the game on the 3rd, the two will be tied for second place, and if LG wins, it will be widened by two games again.
Both Lotte and LG had injuries that caused them to leave. Lotte's Ko Seung-min, who had been replaced by side pain the previous day, was excluded from the first group due to damage to his right internal abdominal muscles after hospital diagnosis. I need two weeks to recover. LG also moved to the hospital for examination after Austin Dean was excluded from the starting lineup due to pain in his side.
Lotte made up the starting lineup with Jang Doo-sung (center fielder), Park Chan-hyung (second baseman), Reyes (left fielder), Jeon Joon-woo (designated hitter), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Jeon Min-jae (striker), Park Seung-wook (third baseman), Information-geun (captor), and Kim Dong-hyuk (right fielder), while LG's Shin Min-jae (second baseman), Kim Hyun-soo (designated hitter), Moon Sung-joo (left fielder), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman)-Park Dong-hwan (striker), Kim Joo-sung (first baseman), Song Chan-ui (first baseman).
On this day, Lotte's starter was Alec Gamboa and LG's Lim Chan-kyu.
Gamboa lost only in his first appearance and then became a winning pitcher in all five games, leading Lotte's rise. A fastball with an average speed of 151km is an attractive pitcher and is considered advantageous for LG, which has many left-handed batters. Lim Chan-kyu has failed to win since winning eight games against Hanwha on May 27, so this is his fifth and ninth try.
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Until the second inning, both of them are out. In the top of the third inning, LG got the first chance to score with two outs and runners on the first and second bases with Song Chan's walk and Shin Min-jae's hit, but Kim Hyun-soo stepped down with a fly to center field. Lotte also got on base for the first time in the bottom of the third inning with a walk by Information Keun, but all of them failed to create a chance to score with a mistake.
LG created a chance for one out and second base with Moon Bo-kyung's superior double in the top of the fourth inning, and Oh Ji-hwan's walk led to the first and third bases with two outs, but Kim Joo-sung stepped down with a ground ball in front of the second base and failed to score another first point.
Then Lotte scored the first run with a home run. After Reyes' left-handed hit after one out, Jeon Joon-woo hit a pre-emptive two-run shot over the left-center fence. He hit a 127km changeup that was driven to the center in 1B1S. 7th home run of the season.
LG tried to keep chasing, but Gamboa kept blocking. In the top of the fifth inning, Shin Min-jae's hit and stolen base, Kim Hyun-soo's walk, and Moon Sung-joo's infield hit at first base created a chance to load the bases, but Moon Bo-kyung only grounded out in front of the shortstop.
Lotte scored an additional point in the bottom of the sixth inning, effectively deciding the game. Kim Min-sung, who came out in the top of the sixth inning with two outs and runners on the first and second bases made by hits by Park Chan-hyung and Jeon Jun-woo, hit a double on the left-field line. 3-0.
LG eventually replaced the pitcher with Lee Ji-gang. However, during Jeon Min-jae's at-bat, Lee Ji-gang balked and scored another point, and Jeon Min-jae's hit hit Shin Min-jae's glove and bounced sideways, earning another point. 5-0 in an instant. Shin Min-jae's error.
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Lotte starter Gamboa quickly emerged as a new LG killer by tying up the LG lineup until the seventh inning. He tied the LG lineup with six hits, four walks, and six strikeouts in six ⅔ innings.
He overcame the last crisis in the bottom of the seventh inning with Choi Jun-yong. He struck out Choi Won-young, caught Shin Min-jae with a ground ball in front of the shortstop to reach two outs, and gave up consecutive hits to Kim Hyun-soo and Moon Sung-joo. In the end, Moon Bo-kyung replaced the pitcher with Choi Jun-yong at the plate. Choi Joon-yong led Moon Bo-kyung to a ground ball in front of the shortstop, and shortstop Jeon Min-jae threw a toss to the second baseman, but second baseman Park Chan-hyung failed to receive it and dropped it to load the bases with two outs.
However, Choi Jun-yong caught Park Dong-won with a fly to left field and escaped the crisis again.
After Choi Jun-yong stopped him without losing a point in the top of the eighth inning, Jung Chul-won took the mound in the top of the ninth inning.
LG created a chance with Choi Won-young's hit and Kim Hyun-soo's double to the left, with one out and runners on second and third bases, followed by Park Hae-min's heavy hit.
In the end, Lotte put closer Kim Won-joong on the mound. Kim Won-joong grabbed Chun Sung-ho and Lee Joo-heon and finished the game, making his 22nd save of the season (3-1).
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
