The LG Twins defeated the Lotte Giants in extra innings to extend their winning streak to seven games, despite losing starter Choi Won-tae to a head shot ejection in the first inning and committing three self-inflicted errors.

The LG Twins pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind 9-6 victory in extra innings in the 11th game of the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Friday in the home rivalry series between the two teams.

Starting lineup

LG: Hong Chang-ki (right fielder)-Oh Ji-hwan (third baseman)-Austin Dean (first baseman)-Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman)-Park Dong-won (designated hitter)-Kim Hyun-soo (left fielder)-Park Hae-min (center fielder)-Shin Min-jae (second baseman)-Kim Sung-woo (catcher), starting pitcher Choi Won-tae.

Lotte: Hwang Sung-bin (center fielder)-Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder)-Na Seung-yup (first baseman)-Victor Reyes (left fielder)-Son Ho-young (third baseman)-Go Seung-min (second baseman)-Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter)-Park Seung-wook (shortstop)-Son Sung-bin (catcher), starting pitcher Kim Jin-wook.

In one of the KBO’s best rivalries, it was LG who had the first laugh. It was a mixed blessing for Lotte, who failed to capitalize on numerous chances, and LG, who handled the crisis well and capitalized on the chances that came their way. And it was LG who smiled in the final game of the series after being unable to play due to the aftermath of heavy rain the day before. Despite the unexpected loss of starter Choi Won-tae in the first inning, they didn’t give up and chased down Lotte to secure a come-from-behind victory.

It was Lotte who set the tone early in the game. In the top of the first inning, Hwang Sung-bin led off with a double off LG starter Choi Won-tae on a 121-kilometer curveball to left field, and Yoon Dong-hee followed with a 144-kilometer fastball for an RBI single. Na Seung-yup then flied out to right field, but Victor Reyes singled to center field to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Here’s where the unexpected happened.

Choi Won-tae had taken 13 days off after the Hanwha Eagles game on the 12th. With a very favorable count of 0B-2S against Son Ho-young, he threw a three-pitch, 144-kilometer fastball that hit Son on the helmet. Luckily, it didn’t seem to bother him, but it was devastating for LG. As if the bullpen wasn’t enough of a problem, Choi Won-tae was given an automatic ejection for a head shot.

LG brought in Lee Ji-gang to put out the fire in a hurry, but it wasn’t easy to escape the situation when they were not fully warmed up. Lotte, on the other hand, capitalized on the opportunity. In the next at-bat, Go Seung-min hit a sacrifice fly to trade a run for his own out to make it 0-2, and then Jeon Jun-woo and Park Seung-wook exploded for back-to-back RBI singles off Lee Ji-gang to score two runs and take control of the game’s early momentum.

It was in the fourth inning that Lotte broke through after the first inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Hwang Sung-bin stole second base for his 38th stolen base of the season, and when Yoon Dong-hee hit a routine grounder to the third baseman, it looked 온라인카지노사이트 like the inning would end naturally. However, LG third baseman Moon Bo-kyung made a throwing error, and Hwang, who was racing home from second base, took advantage of the opportunity to score another run.

Despite the messy start to the game, LG didn’t give up easily. After failing to capitalize on scoring chances against Lotte starter Kim Jin-wook in the third and fourth innings, LG got things going in the top of the fifth inning when Shin Min-jae led off with a single to shortstop and Hong Chang-ki followed with a double to left field. Austin Dean then took advantage of Kim Jin-wook’s four-seam 130-kilometer slider and blasted a 173.4-mph (120-meter) three-run shot to cut the deficit to 3-5.

Spurred on, LG rallied to tie the game. In the top of the seventh inning, leadoff hitter Kim Bum-seok singled off Lotte pitcher Han Hyun-hee. LG immediately brought in pinch-hitter Choi Seung-min, and after back-to-back singles by Hong Chang-ki and a sacrifice fly by Oh Ji-hwan off Lotte’s Jin Hae-soo to put runners on first and third, LG pulled within one run of Lotte. In the top of the eighth inning, LG had another chance after a leadoff walk by Kim Hyun-soo and a sacrifice bunt by Park Hae-min, and Shin Min-jae tied the game at 5-5 with a single off Lotte’s Kim Kang-hyun.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Lotte threatened again when pinch-hitter Jung Hoon hit a ground ball to the pitcher. However, LG’s replacement pitcher Kim Yoo-young made a costly throwing error, giving Lotte the bases loaded with no outs. The next batter, Jeon Jun-woo, drew a walk and then Park Seung-wook hit a sacrifice fly to regain the lead at 6-5. However, the game would not end there. LG had one last chance in the ninth when Austin and Moon drew back-to-back walks, and pinch-hitter Koo Bon-hyeok blasted a game-tying RBI single.

The game went to extra innings as Lotte was unable to capitalize in the bottom of the ninth, but it was LG who had the last laugh. In the top of the 11th inning, LG scored the winning run when Moon Bo-kyung reached on a grounder to shortstop, Park Dong-won reached on an error by Lotte third baseman Son Ho-young, and Koo Bon-hyuk drew a walk to load the bases, and Park Hae-min hit a three-run double off Choi Yi-joon. In the bottom of the 11th, Baek Seung-hyun came on to shut down Lotte’s bats and secure Pajuk’s seventh straight win.