The pressure of losing back-to-back games is this scary when the manager gets on the mound and the pitcher who was fine gets the worst ball

Aug 18, 2025

The pressure of losing back-to-back games is this scary when the manager gets on the mound and the pitcher who was fine gets the worst ball
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 delighted. Busan = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.25/



I was a pitcher who threw the ball perfectly until a day ago...

The Lotte Giants failed to end their eight-game losing streak against the Samsung Lions at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 17th. No, should I say I'm glad I didn't lose nine straight games. They played until the 11th inning of extra time, but they couldn't decide their superiority with an 8-8 draw.

It was a game where it was impossible to predict when and where it would hit. There is a lot to be said about the two teams 'last-minute match', but one of the most important match points was at the beginning of the eighth inning.




Lotte's bat, which had not been so strong during the losing streak, broke in the bottom of the seventh inning, and in addition to the opponent's defensive error, a large number of six-point big innings came out.

7-3 come-from-behind. Had to keep this score and snap a losing streak. However, Lotte's game was twisted in the top of the eighth inning when closer Kim Won-joong, who took the mound early with one out, allowed a tiebreaking bases-loaded shot by opponent Kim Young-woong.

The pressure of losing back-to-back games is this scary when the manager gets on the mound and the pitcher who was fine gets the worst ball
Lotte and Samsung held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 17th. 1 out and full base in the top of the 8th inning. Samsung's Kim Young-woong hit a tiebreaking grand slam against Lotte's Kim Won-joong. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.08.17/
Let's look at the process of Kim Won-joong being deployed early. At the start of the eighth inning, Lotte put forward left-hander Hong Min-ki, who has recently grown into the most reliable must-win group. A player who pitched one scoreless inning against the same team just a day ago.




I was nervous from the practice pitch. The ball went wild. I thought I was nervous. Still, I thought I would throw it bravely because I had four points to spare. But what's wrong with this. A straight walk against the lead, Park Seung-gyu. It can be possible for a pitcher to give up a straight walk. However, the distribution of pitches was shocking. There have been four consecutive shootings that are hard to believe were thrown by professional players. It was all a fastball, too. If there was nothing wrong with the body, it could only be explained that he was nervous.

The pressure of losing back-to-back games is this scary when the manager gets on the mound and the pitcher who was fine gets the worst ball
Lotte and Samsung at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 17th. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung took the mound himself in the top of the eighth inning. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.08.17/
Sensing the weirdness, Lotte bench immediately put in Jeong Hyeon-su. However, after dealing with Kim Sung-yoon, Chung Hyun-soo also began to get nervous when slugger Koo Ja-wook came out. When Koo Ja-wook cut two consecutive balls on the body in 2B2S, he walked two balls in a row, spraying two balls in a row to see if he was embarrassed.

a mountain beyond a mountain. Diaz, the leading candidate for home run at bat. When the first ball went in, manager Kim Tae-hyung took the mound himself. The message was clear from the shape of Kim's mouth captured on the broadcast screen. "Stick"




The pressure of losing back-to-back games is this scary when the manager gets on the mound and the pitcher who was fine gets the worst ball
Lotte and Samsung at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 17th. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung took the mound himself in the top of the eighth inning. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.08.17/
Still, Jung Hyun-soo put the next ball curve low in the middle. The problem is that Diaz hit this ball. Chung Hyun-soo did a good job or a bad job, but it doesn't make any difference. Coach Kim's choice was to put in Kim Won-joong early. And the worst situation occurred: a grand slam.

Hong Min-ki and Jung Hyun-soo say they are doing well this season, but they still lack experience. He seems to have been shaken by the tremendous responsibility to cut the losing streak and the pressure he feels unwittingly, not knowing the team's situation, which has lost eight consecutive games. This was a scene that clearly showed why the players had no choice but to cringe when they fell into a long losing streak. So the longer the losing streak is, the more difficult it is to break it.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.