The Lotte Giants, led by manager Kim Tae-hyung, fell into a seven-game losing streak. The Giants fell to their knees as they were out-hit by the LG Twins in both games.
Lotte lost 2-7 in the first game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League against LG on Saturday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. It was a bitter way to start the new week after back-to-back sweeps by the Samsung Lions in Sajik and the Kiwoom Heroes in Gochuk last week.
Lotte got the least out of starter Aaron Wilkerson on the day, allowing three runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts in six innings. It was an improvement from his five innings, seven hits, one homer, one walk, three strikeouts, and three runs allowed against Samsung Electronics on April 10 and five innings, five hits, two homers, one walk, six strikeouts, and four runs allowed against Hanwha on April 4.
However, the offense struggled against LG starter Dietrick Enns' command. Starting with Son Ho-young's bases-loaded single in the top of the second inning, Lotte missed a bases-loaded single in the top of the third, a bases-loaded single in the top of the fourth, and a 1-2-3 double in the top of the fifth.
Lotte's first run came on a home run. Trailing 0-3 in the top of the sixth inning, leadoff hitter Jeong Hoon launched a solo home run to spark the comeback. It narrowed the gap to 1-3 and raised hopes of a comeback.
However, Lotte's rally was halted in the top of the seventh when Kim Min-seok and Yoon Dong-hee struck out in succession with runners on first and second. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the defense gave up four runs to LG and lost control of the game.
With the loss, Lotte dropped to 4-15 on the season and remained in 10th place, behind 9th-place KT Wiz (5-16) in the win column. It's now urgent for the team to win against LG on Sept. 17 and end the losing streak.
Lotte coach Kim Tae-hyung, who took over in October last year, tasted the pain of a seven-game losing streak for the first time in his managerial career. It was also the first time the team's win-loss margin exceeded minus 10 right after the start of the regular season.
Kim took over as manager of Doosan in 2015 and immediately led the team to the Korean Series title. After finishing third in the regular season, the team swept through the 토토 semifinals, playoffs, and Korean Series, returning the Bears to the top of the KBO for the first time in 14 years.
Kim Tae-hyung has since led Doosan to the KBO's first seven consecutive Korean Series appearances through 2021. He added two more titles in the 2016 and 2019 seasons and became one of the greatest managers in Korean baseball history.
Kim briefly left the field as a baseball commentator last year after failing to re-sign with Doosan for the 2022 season, but his time on the field was short-lived. Lotte, which recently missed the postseason for the sixth consecutive year, lured Kim with a three-year contract worth 2.4 billion won ($2.4 million).
Lotte hoped to make a splash in the 2024 season under Kim Tae-hyung, but they're off to a terrible start. The team has struggled to rebound after falling to the bottom of the standings, with neither of the two managers being recognized for their distinctive strengths.
For Kim Tae-hyung himself, losing seven straight regular-season games is a first. In his debut season as head coach, Kim Tae-hyung lost six straight games from September 5, 2015, against the Daejeon Hanwha Eagles to September 12, 2015, against the Jamsil KT Wiz.
Kim Tae-hyung's losing streak, which shouldn't have been broken at all, became a black mark in Lotte's history. After a heartbreaking seven-game losing streak, the team will prepare for the game on Sept. 17.
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