Lotte, already eliminated from the postseason, used a burst of batting firepower and a stellar outing from starter Park Se-woong to stymie a busy Doosan.
The Lotte Giants swept the Doosan Bears 14-3 in the home finale of the 2023 KBO regular season at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on Nov. 11.
Lotte had already lost 0-7 against the LG Twins in Jamsil the previous day (Oct. 10), ending their chances of advancing to the Fall League. However, Lotte kept the home fans happy until the very end by winning the final home game of the regular season.
Meanwhile, Doosan, which has lost two straight games, is in dire straits. Doosan, which is in a tight third-place battle with the SSG Landers and NC Dinos (73 wins, 2 draws, 64 losses – tied for third), suffered its 65th loss (71 wins, 2 draws), widening the gap to 1.5 games.
Along with pitcher Park Se-woong, Lotte’s starting lineup included Ahn Kwon-soo (left fielder), Noh Jin-hyuk (shortstop), Ahn Chi-hong (second baseman), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Jeong Hoon (first baseman), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Yoo Kang-nam (catcher), Kim Min-seok (center fielder), and Park Seung-wook (third baseman).
Doosan’s lineup was Jung Soo-bin (center field), Jose Rojas (left field), Yang Seok-hwan (first base), Yang Ji (catcher), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Kang Seung-ho (second base), Kim In-tae (right field), Kim Jae-ho (shortstop), and Park Jun-young (third base). The starting pitcher was Choi Won-jun.
Doosan took the early lead. In the top of the first inning, Jung Soo-bin drew a walk and stole second, and Rojas followed with a single to right. However, after Yang Suk-hwan struck out and Yang Ji singled to right, Kim Jae-hwan (grounder to second base) and Kang Seung-ho (grounder to shortstop) were both stranded at first and second base.
After overcoming the threat of a big inning, Lotte fought back in the bottom of the first. Two batters later, Ahn Chi-hong and Jeon Jun-woo singled to left and drew a walk, respectively. Jung-hoon followed with an RBI single to left center field.
With momentum on their side, Lotte took the lead in the bottom of the second. Leadoff hitter Yoo Kang-nam hit a 115-meter solo arch over the left field fence. Kim Min-seok singled to right, Park Seung-wook sacrificed to center, and Ahn Kwon-soo flied out to right field to load the bases for Noh Jin-hyuk’s RBI single to left.
After setting the tone perfectly, Lotte widened the gap in the bottom of the third. Jung Hoon singled up the middle and Yoon Dong-hee doubled to left to put runners on second and third, and Kim Min-seok hit a two-run single to right.
After suffering back-to-back blows, Doosan started its comeback in the top of the fourth inning. Two batters later, Kang Seung-ho hit a double to right-center field and Kim In-tae responded with a single to left.
But Lotte had no intention of letting the game slip away. In the bottom of the fourth inning, leadoff hitter Noh Jin-hyuk hit a double to right-center field, and Ahn Chi-hong followed with an RBI double to left-center field.
The bats came alive and Lotte continued its scoring streak. Jeon Jun-woo singled to left field to put runners on first and second. Yoon Dong-hee grounded out to shortstop, Yoo Kang-nam walked, and Kim Min-seok singled up the middle to score Park Seung-wook. 8-2.
A desperate Doosan pulled within one run in the top of the fifth inning when Jeong Soo-bin singled to left and stole second, followed by Yang Seok-hwan’s RBI single.
However, Lotte got back on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Jung Hoon walked and Yoon Dong-hee singled to left to put runners on second and third, and Yoo Kang-nam followed with a double to left. Kim Min-seok’s infield single to third, Park Seung-wook’s walk and Ahn Kwon-soo’s strikeout loaded the bases for Noh Jin-hyuk.
With the bases loaded, Lotte tacked on another run in the bottom of the seventh when Jung Hoon singled up the middle, the opposing pitcher threw a wild pitch, and the third baseman made an error on Yoon Dong-hee’s grounder to put runners on first and third.안전놀이터
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Lotte added two more runs on a groundout by Jeon Jun-woo and a push single by Yoon Dong-hee to complete the 14-3 victory.
Yoo Kang-nam (3-for-2, 1 home run, 3 RBIs), Jeong Hoon (4-for-4, 2 RBIs), Noh Jin-hyuk (4-for-4, 2 RBIs) and Kim Min-seok (6-for-4, 2 RBIs) swung the bats to lead Lotte’s offense. Starting pitcher Park Se-woong scattered 107 pitches, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six innings to improve to 9-7 on the season.
Doosan was plagued by poor outings from its pitching staff, including starter Choi Won-jun (1.2 innings, five hits, one home run, one walk and three runs). Choi fell to 10-3 on the season. Rojas (2-for-4, one RBI) showed off his high-sensitivity bat, but it was overshadowed by the team’s loss.