The Lotte Giants won a 7-3 game at home over the Samsung Lions on Sunday, evading a loss that would push them farther away from sixth place in the KBO. The win, which came at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, Korea, saw the team have many flurries of runs that gave them a safe lead near the end.
The series was an important one for both teams as they currently sit side-by-side on the KBO rankings. While the Lions won the first two games, a win on Sunday brought the Giants to only half-a-game behind the team.
Giants Get Up By Three Early
Before the Giants started scoring, the Lions got one on the board. The first run came in early, as a hit from Lee Sung-gon drove home a runner to make the game 1-0 Lions.
Scoring kicked off for the Giants in the third, as a hit from Lee Dae-ho scored two runs, including Jeon Jun-woo who dashed around from first base to home.
The scoring continued an inning later as the Giants were able to extend the lead to 4-1. First, a hit from Kim Jae-yoo scored a runner. In the next at-bat, Son Ah-seop batted in another run with a hit.
Starters Handed Decisions
Being given the loss for the game, Lions starter Kim Dae-woo was taken out of the game after four innings.
Giants starter Park Se-woong was pulled after the sixth inning where he gave up a two-run home run to Koo Ja-wook. Allowing three runs and four hits over six innings, Park was given the win for the game.
Final Runs For Giants
Scoring was capped off in the sixth by a rally of hits from the Giants. First, a sacrifice fly from Min Byung-hun brought in a run. After that, Son Ah-seop hit a two-run home run against reliever Im Hyun-joon. This brought the Giants lead to 7-3.
Lions and Giants Remain Close
After finishing their series against each other, the Giants and Lions are still close together on the standings. The sixth-place Lions finish the week with a 24-24 record, as the Giants sit only half-a-game behind with a 22-23 record.
The Lions will have a home stretch through the next week, hosting games against the SK Wyverns and LG Twins.
The Giants will play their first series this season against the NC Dinos on Tuesday. After that, the team will start a three-game series at home versus the SK Wyverns, who they are 2-0 against.
The series could potentially be the first this season for the Giants with a live crowd as the KBO aims to bring fans back on Friday.
Around The KBO
A low scoring game saw a single run from the bat of Kim Hye-sung to give the Kiwoom Heroes a 1-0 win over the Kia Tigers.
In one of the many shutout games on Sunday, the LG Twins got a 4-0 win against the SK Wyverns.
A rough 2020 start for Hanhwa Eagles pitcher Chad Bell continued on Sunday, as his record moved to 0-5 through seven appearances. The starter gave up five runs in the first inning in what would be an 8-4 win for the KT Wiz.
Strong pitching from Drew Rucinski helped the NC Dinos get a 4-0 win over the Doosan Bears. The top-ranked KBO team won the series 2-1 over the second-place Bears this week.
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