The term “slow” doesn't seem to apply to the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization anymore. The Giants used their offense to take down the Kia Tigers.
Lotte won 6-1 against the Kia Tigers at Sajik Stadium in Busan on April 21, taking the first game of a three-game series. The victory improved Lotte's record to 16-2-27 on the season, avenging a 1-1-1 split in a three-game series against Jamsil Doosan last weekend. Failing to break through.
LOTTE battled back after Charlie Barnes gave up a run in the first inning, but the bats couldn't provide enough support. Kia starter James Nail was stuck in a rut and the score remained 0-1.
Lotte's bats picked up their focus after Nail was removed. In the seventh inning, Lotte created an opportunity when Noh Jin-hyuk led off with a walk. Yoo Kang-nam followed with a strikeout, but pinch-hitter Jang Doo-sung stole second base. Choi Hang-hang also struck out to load the bases.
However, a wild pitch put runners on second and third again when pinch-hitter Kim Min-sung walked, and Hwang Sung-bin singled to center to bring in the tying run.
In the bottom of the inning, Lotte capitalized on the opportunity. Yoon Dong-hee took a one-ball, one-strike pitch from Kia's Kwak Do-gyu for a two-run double to center field. The lead was cut to 2-1 with runners on first and third.
With runners on second and third, Hwang Sung-bin was on third and Yoon Dong-hee was on first. All of them were fast runners. In the bottom of the inning, Lotte rattled the KIA battery. Hwang Sung-bin rattled Choi Ji-min on the mound with a home-steal attempt. At the plate, Koh Seung-min was also 토토사이트 persistent. Yoon Dong-hee led off with a single and stole second.
Eventually, a wild pitch put runners on second and third, and both runners reached base. The pitch sailed into the deepest part of the Sajik Stadium backstop and Yoon wasted no time in rushing home to make the score 4-1.
Lotte retaliated in the top of the first inning in exactly the same way that Park Chan-ho had been hit by a pitch, stealing second base, and allowing a home rush from second on a grounder to first base. Lotte once again signaled that they are no longer a slow team.
When asked after the game, Yoon Dong-hee said, “The pitcher's ball trajectory was a lot lower, so I thought it would go deep if I missed, and it did. I ran full speed, but I thought I could get it in, so I was thinking about going to home plate,” she said, adding, ‘I thought I could make it to home plate about 80% of the time, but when I saw the coach's sign, I was convinced and went to home plate.’
With the departure of key veterans like Jeon Jun-woo and Jeong Hoon, younger players like Yoon Dong-hee have had to shoulder more responsibility. They now have to step up to the plate and fulfill the veterans' expectations. “I think the whole team is focused on the game,” he said. It's fun to watch from the bench, and everyone is focused on every single ball, which makes me take responsibility and work harder,” he said.
“I think we're just looking at it one game at a time. We're trying to win one game and that's the only way to win. We're taking it one game at a time rather than looking at the long term,” he concluded.