Lotte Giants earn a rain-check victory.
Lotte Giants won 3-1 against the Kia Tigers in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on Wednesday, thanks to a rain delay in the bottom of the sixth inning. The win snapped a three-game losing streak. They remained in seventh place. Starting pitcher Shim Jae-min was all smiles with his first career win.먹튀검증
KIA lost its second straight game. They dropped one spot from fourth to fifth.
Starting lineups
Lotte: Yoon Dong-hee (R), Jeong Hoon (1B), Ahn Chi-hong (2B), Jeon Jun-woo (LF), Yoo Kang-nam (designated hitter), Jeong Jung-geun (catcher), Han Dong-hee (3B), Lee Hak-joo (shortstop), Hwang Sung-bin (center fielder). Starting pitcher Shim Jae-min
KIA: Kim Do-young (shortstop)-Lee Woo-sung (right fielder)-Na Sung-beom (designated hitter)-Choi Hyung-woo (left fielder)-Kim Sun-bin (second baseman)-Socrates (center fielder)-Hwang Dae-in (first baseman)-Kim Tae-gun (catcher)-Choi Jung-yong (third baseman). Starting pitcher Yang Hyun-jong
Starting shortstop Park Chan-ho is out of the lineup due to injury. He tore the ligament in his left fourth finger while sliding head-first into first base during the NC on April 12. He will need about three weeks of treatment. He is unlikely to start for the time being and will be used as a pinch-hitter or a defensive replacement.
Coach Kim Jong-kook said, “(Park) Chan-ho said, ‘It’s not bad enough to have surgery, so I can be a substitute or a big defender.’ I don’t think there’s anyone better than Chan-ho, so I’m keeping him on the roster. However, it will be difficult for him to start for the time being.” “We need to check his finger through treatment and rest. The training department will take care of it,” Kim said, adding, “We’ll do pogo and running together. When I can hit, I’ll do it slowly and step by step,” he explained.
“I told them not to slide head-first at first base,” he said, adding, “There’s video replay, so even if you don’t slide, it’s still accurate. You can slide in a hurry or without realizing it, but there are so many cases where you can get hurt. In the major leagues, head-first sliding at first base is even considered taboo.”
Games 1 and 2: Left-handed starting pitching, and it was tight
The game was scheduled to start at 6:30pm. However, due to rain, a large tarp was placed on the field. There was a 40-minute delay while waiting for the rain to subside. The game started at 7:10.
It was a left-handed starting matchup. Yang Hyun-jong has been one of the league’s longtime left-handed aces. This season, he is 7-8 with a 3.94 ERA in 22 games and 125⅔ innings pitched.
He reached a significant milestone with this appearance. With 377 career starts, he is tied for first place in that category. He tied the record with Song Jin-woo.
Shim Jae-min was initially struggling in the middle innings. He made his first appearance as a substitute on March 17 against SSG. He gave up two runs in three innings. On July 7, he made his second start against Samsung Electronics. He pitched beyond expectations with five innings and one run. He wanted to continue the trend against KIA.
In the first inning, Yang Hyun-jong got off to a good start with a triple. Shim Jae-min also grounded out the leadoff hitter Kim Do-young in the first inning. A video review was conducted at KIA’s request, but the first out was upheld. With the bases loaded, Shim induced a ground ball to Lee Woo-sung. Third baseman Han Dong-hee made a throwing error. The throw was out of bounds and Lee raced to second.
Shim Jae-min retired the next batter, Na Sung-bum, on three pitches with a fielder’s choice. Choi Hyung-woo flied out to left field to end the first inning with no runs on the board.
In the top of the second inning, Yang Hyun-jong struck out Yoo Kang-nam in four pitches and Lee Jung-geun in five pitches. Shim Jae-min also ended the second inning with a triple play. Kim struck out Kim Sun-bin and cooked Socrates and Hwang Dae-in with ground balls.
3rd and 4th innings: Sudden crisis, crying and laughing
In the top of the third, Yang Hyun-jong struck first. He gave up a walk to Han Dong-hee and a single to Lee Hak-joo. Hwang Sung-bin’s bunt was fielded and thrown to first base, but it was a step too late. Kim Sun-bin, who was covering first base, switched feet and tried to make a throw, but it was not enough, leaving the bases loaded.
Yoon Dong-hee followed with a grounder. Han Dong-hee scored from third base. Choi Jeong-yong, the third baseman, fumbled the ball once, allowing Hwang Sung-bin to reach second and Yoon Dong-hee to reach first. Lee Hak-joo was thrown out at third, putting runners on first and second. Yang Hyun-jong struck out Jung-hoon, but gave up a two-run double to left to Ahn Chi-hong. KIA was down 0-3.
In the bottom of the third inning, Shim Jae-min walked Kim Do-young and singled in Lee Woo-seong. He struck out Na Sung-beom to preserve the scoreless inning.
In the top of the fourth, Yang Hyun-jong put runners on first and second with a single by Yoo Kang-nam and a walk by Han Dong-hee. Lee Hak-joo and Hwang Sung-bin struck out to prevent further damage. Shim Jae-min gave up a walk to Kim Sun-bin in the bottom of the fourth, but ended the inning after four batters.
Fifth inning: KIA scores one run and keeps hopes alive
In the bottom of the fifth inning, KIA had runners on first and second after Kim Tae-gun singled and Choi Jung-yong sacrificed. With two on and two out, Lee Woo-sung took a five-pitch fastball from Shim Jae-min for a single to center field. The score was 1-3. Na Sung-beom followed with a grounder to short to end the inning.
6th inning: The heavy rain finally comes through
In the top of the sixth inning, KIA made a pitching change. Yang Hyun-jong pitched five innings, allowing three runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts. His total pitch count was 92 (60 strikes). He threw a mix of fastballs (48) and changeups (36), along with sliders (6) and curves (2). His fastball topped out at 144 kilometers per hour.
In the bottom of the sixth, Lotte switched pitchers to Kim Jin-wook. Shim went five innings, allowing one run on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. His total pitch count was 75 (46 strikes). He threw a fastball (30), changeup (21), curve (19), and slider (5) that topped out at 143 kilometers per hour.
Variables. In the top of the sixth inning, the rain came down hard and fast. At 9:10 p.m., before the bottom of the sixth inning, the game was rained out. At 9:56 p.m., 46 minutes later, a rainout was declared.
Acting manager Lee Jong-woon said after the twisty win, “Starter Shim Jae-min fulfilled his role with excellent pitching. He pitched well as a starter for the second consecutive game, so I’m looking forward to him as a starter for the rest of the season.” “In the offense, captain Ahn Chi-hong hit a hit when he needed to, and we won the game early on. We are grateful that so many fans supported us on a rainy day in Gwangju. We will do our best to prepare for tomorrow’s game (against KIA in Gwangju on the 14th).”