The Lotte Giants snapped a three-game losing streak. Shim Jae-min pitched in the pouring rain to earn his first career start.
Lotte Giants won 3-1 in the sixth inning of a rain-shortened game against the KIA Tigers at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on Wednesday.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak the day before. The bullpen got a day off. In many ways, it was a day that benefited from the rain. For Shim, it could have been his first career start in the rain and his first complete game of the season if he hadn’t given up a run in the fifth inning.
Both teams’ third basemen made fielding errors. While Lotte’s Han Dong-hee in the first inning was officially recorded as an error, KIA’s Choi Jeong-yong in the top of the third was not, as it came from a natural secondary motion after adding an out anyway. However, the aftermath of Choi’s error with the bases loaded was far more devastating.
Choi Jeong-yong’s error was preceded by Yang Hyun-jong’s wobble. In the top of the third inning, with the score tied at 0-0, he gave up a walk to Han Dong-hee and a single to Lee Hak-joo. In particular, Lee Hak-joo was called out on a bunt after a failed bunt.
Hwang Sung-bin’s bunt also included a mistake by Yang Hyun-jong himself. Although the course was good, Yang’s delivery was shaky and he lost the save at first base. The run was recorded as an infield hit.
With the bases loaded, Choi Jeong-yong made an error. He caught the ball, stepped on third base, and dropped the ball as he moved on to the next play. A normal defense would have saved the inning, but the next batter, Jeong Hoon, struck out.
With runners on first and second, Ahn Chi-hong hit a two-run double that proved to be the difference. KIA got one run back in the top of the fifth on a single by Lee Woo-sung, but that was it.
If the game had gone longer, two points would not have mattered given KIA’s recent volcanic 토토 struggles. However, heavy rain poured down before the start of the bottom of the sixth inning, and that’s how the game ended with a rain call.
Acting Lotte manager Lee Jong-woon said, “Starter Shim Jae-min did his job with a great pitching performance. He pitched well as a starter for two consecutive games (five innings and one run), so I’m looking forward to seeing him as a starter for the rest of the season.”
“On offense, our captain, Ahn Chi-hong, came through with a big hit when we needed it and got us on the board early. We are grateful to our fans for their support on a rainy day in Gwangju. We will work hard to prepare for tomorrow’s game.”