Lotte's sudden attack? Why was the master calm even in KIA's all-out war…There's nothing we can do about it.

Aug 05, 2025

Lotte's sudden attack? Why was the master calm even in KIA's all-out war…There's nothing we can do about it.
The match between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 27th. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung is preparing for the game. Busan = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.27/



Lotte's sudden attack? Why was the master calm even in KIA's all-out war…There's nothing we can do about it.
KIA-KT match held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 21st. KIA Kim Do-young is training before the game. Suwon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.21/
"There's nothing we can do about it."

Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung just laughed it off. Manager Kim reacted calmly as the KIA Tigers put foreign one-two punches James Nail and Adam Oler in the three consecutive games during the week against Lotte, and even Kim Do-young, who returned from injury, was put in. Lotte is determined to create an atmosphere according to Lotte.

KIA vigorously prepared for three consecutive games against the No. 1 Hanwha Eagles in Gwangju last weekend. Apart from avenging the humiliation of Hanwha's first sweep loss of the season in the last three consecutive games of the first half, it was difficult for them to lose back-to-back games to protect the fifth round. KIA tried to continue its winning streak by putting nails and allers in turn as it was in the mood by setting the first game of the series against Hanwha 3-2.




But rain was a variable. All games were canceled due to two consecutive days of heavy rain in Gwangju on the 2nd and 3rd. This is the background of KIA's all-out war to Lotte.

KIA rearranged the order with Nail-Oller-Yang Hyun-jong-Kim Do-hyun-Lee Eui-ri as it had room to adjust its starting rotation. This is the result of thinking about how to win more. Lotte's turn was to meet KIA's 3rd, 4th, and 5th starters, but due to the cancellation of the rain, it was in a situation where it had to face the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd starters.

In addition, last year's MVP batter Kim Do-young will play his return match in Busan. KIA tried to call up Kim Do-young to the first team on the 2nd to make him return in front of home fans, but the sky blocked him. It is unclear how much Kim Do-young has recovered his current sense of practice, but he had 4 hits in 12 at-bats (0.333 batting average), one home run and four RBIs against Lotte before the injury.




Lotte's sudden attack? Why was the master calm even in KIA's all-out war…There's nothing we can do about it.
LG-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 22nd. KIA's starting nail is coming down with a confident look after blocking a scoreless first inning. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.22/
Lotte's sudden attack? Why was the master calm even in KIA's all-out war…There's nothing we can do about it.
KIA starter Oler is pitching hard in a match between Hanwha and KIA at Gwangju KIA Champions Field on the 7th. Gwangju = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.06.07/
Lotte seems to be solidifying its third-place position or higher in the second half as both the starter and the bullpen have found stability. It is four games away from the first-place Hanwha Eagles and the second-place LG Twins, and five games away from the fourth-place SSG Landers. It seems to be one step away from the fierce ranking competition up and down.

Coach Kim said, `I can say that I can still afford it if I play five games now, but if I lose consecutive games, I can narrow it down again quickly. It's not that I don't actually care (about the teams up and down). It's not that I don't care about the outcome of the game, but it's not when I think I have time to relax. He said he would not let go of the tension.

Regarding Lotte's stability in the second half of the year, head coach Kim said, "(Hong) Min-ki joined the team, and the bullpen is still paying off. He's throwing well in his own way, as is the selection"And yet "Hitting pace is actually not that good right now. From the manager's point of view, there should be something to overcome a pitcher with good pitching, but the batting pace is not very good."




Lotte made the starting lineup with Jang Doo-sung (center fielder), Ko Seung-min (first baseman), Son Ho-young (third baseman), Victor Reyes (left wing), Yoon Dong-hee (right wing), Jeon Joon-woo (designated hitter), Yoo Kang-nam (catcher), Park Seung-wook (striker), and Han Tae-yang (second baseman) against nails. The starting pitcher is Alec Gamboa.

Lotte's sudden attack? Why was the master calm even in KIA's all-out war…There's nothing we can do about it.
The game between KIA and Lotte at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 25th. Hong Min-ki, who stopped the eighth inning without losing a point, is smiling. Busan = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.25/




This article was translated by Naver AI translator.