Busan: The LG Twins rallied from a five-run deficit to defeat the Lotte Giants 8-6 for their fourth consecutive win in the Korea Baseball Organization.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Moon Jeong-bin delivered a pinch-hit, go-ahead triple in the top of the seventh inning at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, as the Twins prevailed in a game in which they once trailed 6-1. With this victory, the Twins improved their record to 30-19-0, becoming the first team to reach 30 wins this year, while the Giants fell to 19-28-1.
After starter Yonny Chirinos was charged with six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings, five LG relievers kept the Giants off the board the rest of the way. The teams exchanged leads during the first four innings, with the Twins taking the initial lead in the top of the first inning. Hong Chang-ki’s single set the stage for Austin Dean’s double, which drove Hong home for a 1-0 lead.
The Giants responded in the bottom of the first, with Go Seung-min’s double scoring Jang Du-seong, who had reached base on an infield single and a throwing error by shortstop Oh Ji-hwan. Jeon Jun-woo then added a sacrifice fly, putting the Giants ahead. The Giants extended their lead with two home runs off Chirinos in the second inning, including Kim Dong-hyun’s first career homer and Victor Reyes’s three-run blast, pushing the lead to 6-1.
The Twins mounted their comeback with singles leading to Cheon Seong-ho’s groundout that cashed in a run, followed by Park Dong-won’s two-run home run, cutting the Giants’ lead to 6-4. The Twins further reduced the deficit in the fourth inning with Park Hae-min’s sacrifice fly and eventually took the lead in the seventh with Moon’s clutch triple.
Kim Yun-sik and Kim Jin-sung held the Giants in check in the seventh and eighth innings, while closer Son Ju-young secured the win with a scoreless ninth, despite an initial single by Go Seung-min. Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb praised the bullpen and the resilient lineup, stating, “It was a difficult game for us early on with Chirinos struggling, but our high-leverage relievers all did their job. Our offense has been struggling of late but I feel like the bats are coming back to life. We gave up an early lead but our guys never gave up.”