“It was a pitch I should have caught.”
Changwon NC Park on the 13th. Lotte Giants manager Larry Sutton recalled a scene from a day earlier.
Against the NC Dinos on the 12th, the Giants had kept their chances of victory alive in a tightly contested game. But in the bottom of the sixth inning, trailing 1-2, NC’s leadoff hitter Park Se-hyuk hit a routine foul ball that both catcher Yoo Kang-nam and third baseman Han Dong-hee missed. Yoo Kang-nam took off his catcher’s mask to give way to Han Dong-hee, who was running after the ball, but failed to add an out as Han Dong-hee sang the so-called “hurrah.” Immediately after, Park Se-hyuk singled and stole second, and in the crisis created by Kim Joo-won’s walk, Lotte’s Kim Jin-wook hit a three-run shot off Son Ah-sub to keep the game alive. For Sutton, who was watching the game from the bench, it was a sigh of relief.
In the NC game on the 13th, Sutton left Han Dong-hee out of the starting lineup. It was understandable given her recent batting slump, but she had hit a double the day before, so it was more of an “unspoken message” following the previous game.
But Sutton could only sigh again.
Starter Charlie Barnes gave up three runs in the first inning on 32 pitches. After a leadoff single and back-to-back walks to load the bases, he was hit by a double to left-center. It was a tough loss, but it was still early enough in the game that the offense was looking to bounce back.
The second inning was the problem. After failing to get a hit, Barnes gave up a leadoff single to Do Tae-hoon and a single to Son Ah-seop to put runners on first and second with no outs. Barnes got Seo Ho-cheol to fly out to center field for the second out. But when center fielder Kim Min-seok loosely threw the ball to shortstop Noh Jin-hyuk after the throw, both runners were able to advance.
Kim Min-seok is a rookie who made his debut this season, and his excellent hitting ability has earned him a spot in the first team leadoff spot since his debut season. However, his skills are one thing, but his mindset is another. With Do Tae-hoon already on second base in a tag-up motion, and Son As-seop at first base with his quick feet and senses, a more aggressive decision was needed. Noh Jin-hyuk hurriedly threw the ball to 토토사이트 second base, but Son’s hands were already on the base after his head-first slide.
Lotte paid the price again. After what could have been runners on first and second turned into runners on second and third, Barnes gave up a three-run triple to Jason Martin to left field. Unlike the first inning, which had a chance to make a comeback, the second inning was much different, with a six-run deficit. The LOTTE bench was forced to pull Barnes after just two innings and put Han Hyun-hee on the mound. In the bottom of the inning, Ahn Jung-yeol’s plain fly ball to right field was misplayed by right fielder Yoon Dong-hee and second baseman Park Seung-wook. NC completed the five-run inning with a two-run double by Do Tae-hoon, back-to-back singles by Son As-seop and Seo Ho-chul, and an RBI single by Martin.
At one point in the first half, Lotte had a +11 win-loss margin, and the team was in great shape as they racked up wins with their trademark cohesion and grit. However, Lotte’s performance over the two days in Changwon showed that they are aiming for a 5% defense and rebounding momentum.