Lotte Giants' Kim Dong-hyun celebrates after hitting a three-run homer in the fourth inning against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on June 21.LOTTE GIANTS
The Lotte Giants, who had fallen to the bottom of the KBO standings, have staged a dramatic turnaround.
Riding a five-game winning streak in the heat of summer rather than the traditional spring surge, they have pulled themselves out of danger. Now, returning home to Busan, they face a pivotal stretch that could determine whether they climb into the middle of the standings or slip back toward the bottom.
Lotte enjoyed their best week of the season. They went unbeaten in six games, finishing with five wins and one tie. They took two wins and a tie from a three-game road series against the SSG Landers in Incheon from June 16 to Thursday, then swept a three-game series against the Kiwoom Heroes in Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul from Friday to Sunday.
A loss to the LG Twins in southern Seoul’s Jamsil Baseball Stadium on June 14 had dropped Lotte to last place for the second time this season. A victory over SSG on June 16 lifted them to ninth, and another win over Kiwoom on Friday moved them up to eighth. After their victory on Sunday, they had cut the gap to seventh-place NC Dinos to three games.
After the win, Lotte players gathered on the mound and held up all five fingers to mark their five-game winning streak.
The mound has been the key to Lotte's unbeaten streak. Lotte posted a team earned run average (ERA) of 2.09 for the week, comfortably leading the league ahead of second-place Samsung Lions at 2.67.
The Giants allowed six runs in the June 16 game against SSG, but then held opponents to three runs or fewer in each of their next five games. They also surrendered just one run in three games during that span. On Wednesday, against SSG and Friday against Kiwoom, they held on for narrow 2-1 victories.
Lotte Giants players hold up all five fingers in celebration after extending their winning streak to five games with a victory over the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on June 21.LOTTE GIANTS
Their pitching success explains how they produced the league’s best weekly record despite ranking only in the middle of the pack in team batting average at .256 and on-base plus slugging at .687.
The starting rotation has been particularly impressive as well.
Foreign pitchers Elvin Rodriguez and Jeremy Beasley have combined with domestic starters Park Se-woong, Na Gyun-an and Kim Jin-uk to form a stable rotation. On Friday, sixth starter Lee Min-seok also delivered a strong performance, allowing one run over seven and one-third innings. The six-man rotation provides valuable depth heading into the demanding summer months.
After completing a lengthy road trip, Lotte will return home Tuesday for a six-game homestand. They will host the seventh-place NC Dinos during the week before facing league-leading LG over the weekend.
Lotte Giants pitcher Na Gyun-an throws against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on June 20.LOTTE GIANTS
Winning at least four of those six games would revive hopes of reaching the postseason, a goal that had appeared increasingly distant. However, Lotte has struggled against both opponents this season, posting a 2-7 record against NC and a 3-6 mark against LG. If they fail to overcome those difficulties, they could quickly lose the ground they have worked so hard to gain.
The Giants must also shake off a puzzling home-field slump. Through 70 games this season, they have played 31 at home and 39 on the road. Their road record of 20-17-2 (wins-losses-ties) gives them a .541 winning percentage, the fourth-best in the league. At home, however, they have managed just 9-22-0 for a .290 winning percentage, the worst among the league’s 10 teams by a wide margin.
Lotte is the only team in the league that has not yet reached 10 home victories this season. The gap is striking even compared with other teams that have struggled at home, including the Hanwha Eagles at 15-18-1, SSG at 14-17-2 and Kiwoom at 17-21-1.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
