Keep the 2nd place and go over the 1st place. LG, Lotte chase 3 to 2, shake off. Austin has 20 home runs for 3 consecutive years and Kim Jin-sung has 20 holds for 3 consecutive years
Jul 01, 2025
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In an away game against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 1st, LG won three to two with Austin's two-run shot, Kim Hyun-soo's sire guitar and Yoo Young-chan's save. LG, which recorded 45 wins, 2 draws and 33 losses, beat third-place Lotte (43 wins, 3 draws and 35 losses) by two games. Even if they lose the remaining two games, they will be tied for second place, so they will keep the second place.
As No. 1 Hanwha is losing 3-4 to NC as of the 8th inning, it is now possible to aim for joint first place.
Lotte registered Jang Doo-sung in the first team and immediately started. The starting lineup consists of Kim Dong-hyuk (right wing), Jang Doo-sung (center fielder), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), Reyes (left wing), Jeon Joon-woo (designated hitter), Park Chan-hyung (third baseman), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Jeon Min-jae (striker) and Information-geun (catcher).
Jang Doo-sung was hit on the right side by KT closer Park Young-hyun's check ball in the top of the 10th inning of extra time against Suwon KT Wiz on the 12th. At that time, he ran to second base, but there was a shocking scene of him lying down and throwing up blood, and he was immediately taken to the hospital by ambulance. Hospital examinations revealed that he was diagnosed with bleeding due to lung bruising, and fortunately, he was discharged from the hospital immediately after the bleeding stopped, rested, and returned to the first team after training and playing in the second team.
LG made the best lineup with Shin Min-jae (designated hitter), Kim Hyun-soo (left fielder), Austin (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Park Dong-won (catcher), Moon Sung-joo (right fielder), Oh Ji-hwan (striker), Koo Bon-hyuk (second baseman), and Park Hae-min (middle fielder).
The match between foreign pitchers Tucker Davidson and Elijah Hernandez. Neither of them performed very well in June, so the game started with more worries than expectations.
LG, which had been taking a frustrating trend because there was no hit in scoring chances in the top of the first inning, with two outs and runners on first and second base in the top of the second inning, eventually scored the first run with a big shot in the top of the third inning.
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With this home run, Austin hit his 20th home run of the season. After 23 in 2023 and 32 last year, he achieved 20 home runs for the third consecutive year. It is the 49th record ever and the first by an LG player.
Then Lotte immediately went after him. After two consecutive walks in the bottom of the third inning, Kim Dong-hyuk and Jang Doo-sung made first and second bases, and Ko Seung-min hit a clean right-handed hit to make it 1-2 and 1 point. Reyes, the second runner and the first and second bases with two outs, stepped down with a fly to left field and failed to tie the game.
In a neck-and-neck race of one point, LG starter Hernandez came down from the mound first. In the bottom of the fifth inning, LG immediately called the bullpen when Jeon Min-jae and Cho In-geun, the first and second base, drew consecutive walks.
Hernandez allowed two hits and four walks, four strikeouts and one run in four innings. Although he was hit by a hit, he had a lot of walks, and above all, the number of pitches already reached 96, so replacement was inevitable.
Lee Jung-yong came up and solved the case. Kim Dong-hyuk's sacrifice bunt fell in front of the catcher, making it a double play leading to third base-1 base. With two outs and runners on second base, Jang Doo-sung stepped down with a fly to center field, and the chance for the first and second bases with no outs ended in vain.
LG also had a chance in the top of the sixth inning when Koo Bon-hyuk's ball entered the forward-defensive second baseman's glove in an additional scoring opportunity with one out and second and third bases made by Park Dong-won's walk and Oh Ji-hwan's double to the left.
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LG eventually scored an extra point in the top of the seventh inning. Leader Park Hae-min picked up a right-handed hit from the changed pitcher Chung Hyun-soo, Shin Min-jae made a sacrifice bunt to make it one out and second base, and Kim Hyun-soo hit Hong Min-ki's 153km fastball, which led to a critical hit.
LG defended Lotte's batters well until the seventh inning. Lee Jung-yong was on the verge of the fifth inning and became a winning pitcher by allowing one hit and no runs in two innings until the sixth inning. It is the second win (two holds) of this season. Kim Jin-sung, who came up for the second time in the seventh inning, had one hit, one strikeout and no run to hold the ball for the 20th time this season, achieving the 20th hold for the third consecutive year.
Lotte did not let LG go according to its flow. He narrowed the gap against Jang Hyun-sik in the bottom of the eighth inning. After one out, Jang got on base with a pitch ball, and Reyes, a second baseman, made it 2-3 with a double to the left-center field. If he gets one more hit with two outs and a second baseman, it could become a tie. LG posted the last bastion, Yoo Young-chan, and Jeon Jun-woo struck out three pitches to end the inning.
Yoo Young-chan also took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning and secured the victory by catching Lotte's batters one after another. It is his fourth save of the season (one win).
For LG, Austin brought the atmosphere with a two-run shot, and Kim Hyun-soo made three hits and one RBI in four at-bats. Oh Ji-hwan, who returned to the first team on June 29 and had no hits in four at-bats, also reported a hit with a big double in the top of the sixth inning.
For Lotte, Davison had a quality start with two runs in six innings, but the batters couldn't support it. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the leadoff Park Chan-hyung walked and Na Seung-yeop's sacrifice bunt created a chance for one out and second base, but no hit came out in the end.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
