A walk-off home run from Jung Hoon gave the Lotte Giants an 11-9 win at home over the top-ranked NC Dinos on Tuesday. The game was the first time the Giants had a crowd at home, as the team returned to the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.
The game saw the Dinos slowly climb back from a lead the Giants gained early in the game. It became a tie game in the seventh after Dinos player No Jin-hyuk scored a grand slam for the Dinos, tying the game up at 8-8.
In the ninth, another home run from No put the away team ahead by a sole run. The game saw a long pause during the ninth due to rain. Once they returned to play, the Giants were able to take back the lead once Jung hit his home run, moving the game to its final score.
Early Runs Give Giants Four-Run Lead
The first inning saw the Giants get ahead by two runs, as the Dinos starting pitcher Lee Jae-hak faced seven batters. After walking Han Dong-hee and forcing home a run, a sacrifice fly from Dixon Machado took home the second run of the game.
The team followed up with a third run in the second inning, where Jeon Jun-woo batted home a run.
The Dinos got on the board in the third off of a hit from Na Sung-bum.
The Giants continued their early rally in the third, scoring two more runs. First, a hit from Min Byung-hun scored a runner. Dinos starter Lee Jae-hak left the game after, playing one two-and-two-thirds an inning. The appearance was his shortest since a mid-June game against the Kiwoom Heroes.
An attempted double play in the third saw a ball pass the Dinos first-baseman, allowing a fifth run to come in for the Giants, making the game 5-1.
The game became closer in the fourth inning after the bats of the Dinos started to heat up. First, a hit from Kim Hyung-joon took home two runs in the fourth inning. Later in the inning, an error allowed a third run to come home.
The Giants fought back, as Dixon Machado shot a solo home run into left field to make the game 6-4 in the fifth inning.
A single from Han Dong-hee in the sixth took home two more runs for the Giants.
The relievers in the ninth inning both saw a decision for their performance. Giving up the game-deciding three-run home run, Dinos pitcher Won Jong-hyun was given his second loss of the season. The second win of the season went to Song Seung-jun.
Giants Look To Overtake Lions
The crowd at Sajik Baseball Stadium was a small one that was spread out in their seating. The outfield seats in the stadium were vacant.
The win was the second time the Giants beat the Dinos this season, as the team lost their previous series in the season against the team two-games-to-one. Another win in the series could move the Giants up to seventh in the KBO, as the team is currently only half-a-game behind the Samsung Lions.
The Giants will host the Dinos two more times this week, with Wednesday’s first pitch set for 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).
Around The KBO
While Raul Alcantara had a strong start for the Doosan Bears, the team fell back late against the Kiwoom Hereos, who got a 6-2 win after some late runs.
Achieving the highest amount of runs in one game this season, the LG Twins defeated the SK Wyverns 24-7.
Two games were rained out, taking the Hanhwa Eagles, Samsung Lions, KT Wiz and Kia Tigers out of competition for the day.
JackWannan.com 