The SSG Landers bounced back from a midweek three-game sweep with a win.바카라
SSG won 4-1 against the Lotte Giants in the regular season of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Thursday. With the win, SSG escaped a three-game losing streak and improved to 51 wins, 38 losses, and one draw. They cut their deficit to 4.5 games over the leaders, the LG Twins, who had their seven-game winning streak snapped. Lotte, on the other hand, lost the first game of a three-game weekend series following a three-game NC series in midweek. They are now 42-48 on the season.
SSG and Lotte’s starting lineups with batting issues
SSG’s starting lineup is Choo Shin-soo (designated hitter), Choi Ji-hoon (center field), Choi Ju-hwan (first base), Choi Jung (third base), Park Sung-sung (shortstop), Kim Sung-hyun (second base), Lee Jung-beom (right field), Oh Tae-gon (left field), and Cho Hyung-woo (catcher). The starting pitcher is Jong-hoon Park. SSG’s batting lineup scored only one run in the three-game series against KT in midweek, but foreign hitter Guillermo Heredia suffered a iliopsoas strain while running the bases in the previous game on the 3rd. He will be out for four weeks. Manager Kim Won-hyung smiled bitterly, saying, “I can’t help it because I got injured on the way here.”
Lotte’s batting lineup was also in a slump. Lotte started with Ahn Kwon-soo (left fielder), Kim Min-seok (center fielder), Gudrum (third baseman), Lee Jung-hoon (designated hitter), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Park Seung-wook (second baseman), Ko Seung-min (first baseman), Noh Jin-hyuk (shortstop), and Son Sung-bin (catcher). Against the underhanded Park Jong-hoon, they concentrated six left-handed batters. Ahn Chi-hong, who was unable to play in the three-game NC series in midweek due to a back muscle injury, was able to pinch-hit as his condition improved.
[OSEN=Busan, Lee Seok-woo]SSG Landers’ Choo Shin-soo scores on Choi Joo-hwan’s sacrifice fly to center field in the first inning. 2023.08.04 / foto0307@osen.co.kr
SSG ‘scores a bunch of runs’, but misses the mark
SSG broke their silence and piled up early runs. In the first inning, leadoff hitter Choo Shin-soo singled to right and was hit by a pitch, Choi Ji-hoon grounded out to first base to put runners on first and third, and Choi Joo-hwan hit a sacrifice fly to center field to take the lead.
SSG had another chance in the third inning. Cho Hyung-woo, the No. 9 hitter, doubled to left-center field. Choo Shin-soo followed with a single to right to put runners on first and third, and Choi Ji-hoon singled up the middle. With runners on first and second, Choi scored on a prioritized double to center field to make it 3-0. LOTTE loaded the bases by walking Choi on an automatic double play.
It was a chance for SSG to score a big run, and they certainly had a chance to pull away. However, SSG got Park Sung-hyun to strike out with the bases loaded, Kim Sung-hyun hit a grounder to the third baseman to load the bases with two outs, and Lee Jung-beom struck out to keep the score at 3-0.
However, in the fourth inning, Oh Tae-gon singled, Cho Hyung-woo walked, and Choo Shin-soo hit a sacrifice fly to left field to put runners on second and third with no outs.
[OSEN=Busan, Lee Seok-woo] Lotte Giants’ Lee Jung-hoon tries to double with Ko Seung-min on first and third base in the fourth inning, but is caught in a rundown. 2023.08.04 / foto0307@osen.co.kr
[OSEN=Busan, Lee Seok-woo] SSG Landers Jong-hoon Park is being replaced in the bottom of the 5th inning. 2023.08.04 / foto0307@osen.co.kr
Full count is basic, 4 pitches, 7 balls… Jong-hoon Park on the verge of self-destruction, one that Lotte didn’t have.
While SSG was piling up the runs, Lotte’s bats were unable to get to SSG starter Jong-hoon Park at all. Jong-hoon’s inherent pitching anxiety was not resolved.
However, Lotte’s batters were unable to properly touch his pitches. When they did, it was either a foul or a swing. They couldn’t generate any hits. It was a self-destructive pattern, but Lotte didn’t have a single hit to break him down.
With two walks and a hit batter in the top of the fourth inning, he finally got his first hit of the day on Yoon Dong-hee’s single to left field with the bases loaded. Park Seung-wook grounded out to the first baseman to put runners on first and third, but the double steal failed and the inning ended without a run.
They had another chance in the fifth inning. Noh Jin-hyuk led off with a walk, and Son Sung-bin singled, Ahn Kwon-soo walked, and Kim Min-seok grounded out to second base to put runners on second and third.
Gudrum then hit an infield single that went wide of the third baseman’s head, narrowly scoring a run, and Lee Jung-hoon walked to load the bases.
Lotte managed only two hits against Park Jong-hoon, but he drew three walks and four pitches. However, they were unable to capitalize on the runs and were unable to break down Jong-hoon.
[OSEN=Busan, Lee Seok-woo]SSG Landers’ Noh Kyung-eun thanks Choi Ji-hoon for catching Lotte Giants’ Yoon Dong-hee’s hit with his body in the bottom of the fifth inning. 2023.08.04 / foto0307@osen.co.kr
No winning pitcher, 4 pitches, 7 strikes, 121 pitches…but the beastly defense saves Jong-hoon and SSG
In the end, Jong-hoon Park went down with the bases loaded in the fifth inning with a 4-1 lead. He threw 121 pitches, the most in a single game. He blew his chance to be the winning pitcher, and SSG was in trouble. They brought in Noh Kyung-eun with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, and she faced Yoon Dong-hee for a full-count nine-pitch at-bat. The ninth pitch of the at-bat was hit to right-center field. It wasn’t a good pitch, but it was in a place where right fielder Ha Jae-hoon and center fielder Choi Ji-hoon couldn’t easily catch it. Choi Ji-hoon made a beast of a defense to end the inning. If the throw had been missed, all three runners could have reached base. The entire SSG team, including Noh Kyung-eun, cheered for Choi Ji-hoon’s great defense.
[OSEN=Busan, Lee Seok-woo] Lotte Giants’ Jung Seong-jong pumps his fist after throwing out SSG Landers’ Kim Sung-hyun at first base in the eighth inning. 2023.08.04 / foto0307@osen.co.kr
[OSEN=Busan, Lee Seok-woo] Gudrum of the Lotte Giants smiles after hitting an RBI single with two outs in the fifth inning. 2023.08.04 / foto0307@osen.co.kr
Lotte’s Jung Seong-jong pitches in quick succession, but repeated late innings party
Lotte missed a chance to load the bases with two outs in the fifth inning, but SSG ended the game without a crisis. In the top of the fifth inning, Jung Sung-jong pitched a four-hit, 30-pitch complete game with one walk and one strikeout to keep the game even until the bottom of the inning. However, the Lotte bats missed a series of chances.
In the top of the seventh, pinch-hitter Jung Hoon led off with a walk and Kim Min-seok struck out, but Goodrum hit a single to right-center field to put runners on second and third, but pinch-hitter Ahn Chi-hong grounded out to third base. In the eighth, Park Seung-wook led off with a single to left. Go Seung-min’s grounder to the second baseman was not picked off, putting runners on second and first, and pinch-hitter Han Dong-hee singled to right to put runners on second and third again. This time, however, Jeon struck out on the opportunity, ending the scoring chances.
In the ninth inning, Lotte had runners on first and second with no outs after leadoff hitter Jung Hoon doubled and Lee Jung-geun singled against reliever Seo Jin-yong. Gudrum struck out, but Ahn Chi-hong followed with a single to load the bases. However, Yoon Dong-hee struck out to end the game. Seo Jin-yong pitched a perfect ninth to earn the save.