Lotte lost 8-10 against Kiwoom in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul at 6:30 p.m. on September 9. The loss leaves Lotte in seventh place with 44 wins and 50 losses.
On this day, Lotte put on a “defensive error show. First up was shortstop Niko Gudrum. In the bottom of the second inning with a 1-0 lead, LOTTE right-hander Park Se-woong singled and Lee Ju-hyung walked to put runners on first and second with no outs. He then induced Kim Tae-jin to ground out to the first baseman. A situation that could have led to a double play.
After catching the ball, first baseman Go Seung-min threw the ball to shortstop Goodrum to get the runner at first. Gudrum then threw the ball to Park Se-woong, who covered the first base line to catch the runner. However, Goodrum’s throw was far off, allowing Kiwoom’s second baseman Song Sung-moon to cross the plate. Lotte tied the game with an unfortunate fielding error.
Lotte’s most crucial error came in the third inning. Trailing 1-2 in the bottom of the inning, Lotte had the bases loaded. It was a tense situation that could have cost them the game, and they needed a solid defense.
However, Lotte showed the worst defensive concentration. With the bases loaded, Kiwoom Lee Ju-hyung hit a grounder to first base. It was a potentially game-ending play. However, Lotte first baseman Ko Seung-min fumbled the ball and caught it. In his haste, he threw a hard throw to home plate, which sailed wide behind the catcher. In the meantime, two Kiwoom runners reached base, putting runners on first and third. Go Seung-min’s error was compounded when Kim Tae-jin, the next batter for Kiwoom, hit a double.
Kim Tae-jin’s hit was followed by a throwing error by right fielder Yoon Dong-hee, sending the runner to second base. It was a ridiculous error that didn’t even go to home plate. Kiwoom capitalized on the defense’s mistake, scoring five runs in the third inning alone.
In the end, Lotte completely lost the game to Kiwoom, falling to 토토사이트 their knees at 8-10. Kiwoom escaped a nine-game losing streak thanks to Lotte’s self-destruction.
Lotte remains in seventh place (44-49) after eight days. The “momentum” they had in April and May is nowhere to be seen. There is also a 4.5-game gap between them and fifth-place Doosan (48 wins, 1 loss, 44 draws), which is within the range of “fall baseball. Today’s game confirmed why Lotte is a bottom-tier team.