Lotte Giants’ ‘momentum’ met the hero corps and was defeated. As it collapsed with a painful come-from-behind loss in 2 consecutive games, the losing series of 3 consecutive weekends was confirmed. One defense in the match was regrettable for a long time.
Lotte lost 2-5 in the 13th game of the season against the Kiwoom Heroes of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 19th. Following a 4-5 come-from-behind defeat the previous day, they failed to keep their early lead for two consecutive days and bowed their heads.
The start wasn’t bad. At the beginning of the first inning, when Lee Jeong-hoon grounded the infield at second and third base safely, third base runner Ahn Kwon-soo stepped on the home plate and got the first run.
The extra points also came quickly. After one run in the top of the second inning, Noh Jin-hyeok hit and Yoo Gang-nam and Lee Hak-joo walked consecutively to get the bases loaded, and Ahn Kwon-soo made the score 2-0 with an RBI sacrifice fly in the outfield.
However, Kiwoom did not back down easily. Lotte starter Na Kyun-an, who was fighting hard, narrowed the score to 2-1 at the end of the 4th inning when he gave Kiwoom Lee Ju-hyeong a 1-run outfield sacrifice fly.
Na Kyun-ahn also had a hard time in the bottom of the 5th inning. After sending lead hitter, pinch hitter Kim Jun-wan to first base with a hit, Kim Tae-jin’s sacrifice bunt put the team at risk of a tie with one out and second base.
Na Kyun-an took a breather by catching tricky hitter Kim Hye-seong with a floating ball in center field, but continued to hit Dawson in the second out and second base. Second baseman Park Seung-wook caught a strong batted ball toward the first and second, but the first base was empty as first baseman An Chi-hong attempted a diving catch.
Na Kyun-an quickly covered the first base base, but the first base umpire judged that Dawson’s foot touched the base first. Lotte Bench requested a video review, but the centrifugal was maintained.
This infield hit had a huge impact on the overall flow of the game. Na Kyun-an had to compete with Song Seong-moon in the 2nd, 1st and 3rd bases. He induced Song Seong-moon to hit a fly ball that missed, but the ball landed in a position where neither third baseman Lee Hak-joo nor left fielder Lee Jeong-hoon could catch it.
Lee Jung-hoon, who cannot yet be seen as a professional outfielder, was momentarily late in his defensive start, and in the end, he was one or two steps short, so he couldn’t handle it as a floating ball. Meanwhile, runners on 1st and 3rd both scored, and the score was overturned to 2-3.
An Chi-hong is second base, and Lee Jung-hoon is catcher. An Chi-hong often played first baseman during the KIA Tigers (2009-2019) days, but he cannot be seen as a professional first baseman. In the case of Lee Jung-hoon, he had never started a first-team game as an outfielder before this season.
The purpose of Lotte’s first baseman Ahn Chi-hong and left fielder Lee Jung-hoon cards was to maximize their offensive power. In the second half, Lee Jung-hoon had a batting average of 0.423 (22 hits in 52 at-bats) and 5 RBIs and an OPS of 0.981.토토사이트
However, his lack of experience was not something he could overcome in the short term. It cannot be said that Lee Jung-hoon lost the game because of his delay in judgment, but it was true that it had a significant impact.
In addition, Gocheok Sky Dome is considered a difficult stadium to defend not only infielders but also outfielders. When a high-flying ball overlaps the ceiling, it is not easy to accurately determine the point of a falling ball.
Both Lotte and Lee Jung-hoon paid expensive tuition and prepared for the next game with a heavy heart.