Giants snap 4-game losing streak with 15-1 demolition of Wiz
Lotte ran the score up to 8 runs by the bottom of the third, with every spot in the batting order scoring for the second time this season for the club.
Lotte Giants players celebrate after winning against the KT Wiz in Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, on July 26.LOTTE GIANTS
The Lotte Giants erupted for 15 runs and pounded out hits from every spot in the lineup, cruising past the KT Wiz 15-1 on Sunday to snap a four-game losing streak while denying the Suwon side a club-record 10th straight victory.
The Giants collected hits from every spot in the batting order — the KBO's 23rd such feat of the season and the Giants' second — in a home game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan. The Wiz, which had matched a franchise record with a ninth consecutive win on Saturday for the first time in seven years, fell one victory short of claiming a record 10 straight victories.
The Giants took control early. After Hwang Seong-bin scored on a double play with the bases loaded in the first inning, Lotte kept the rally alive with consecutive doubles by Na Seung-yeup and Yoon Dong-hee, followed by back-to-back walks to No Jin-hyuk and Jeon Min-jae to tack on three more runs.
The Giants also capitalized on the Wiz starter Matthew Sauer, who labored through a 41-pitch first inning in sweltering conditions. The Giants added two runs in each of the second and third innings to stretch the lead to 8-0.
A two-run homer by Victor Reyes in the fifth — his 13th of the season — and RBI singles from Jeon and Hwang Seong-bin in the sixth put the game out of reach.
Lotte starter Jeremy Beasley earned his seventh win of the season after allowing five hits and striking out seven over six scoreless innings. Three of his seven victories this year have come against KT.
Sauer was tagged with the loss after surrendering eight runs on 10 hits and five walks over three innings. He threw 90 pitches and fell to 7-5.
Elsewhere, the Doosan Bears beat the first-place Samsung Lions 7-0 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul. The victory left the Bears one game behind the fourth-place Kia Tigers.
Doosan Bears pitcher Gwak Been pitches in a KBO game between the Bears and the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on July 26.YONHAP
Bears ace Gwak Been struck out eight over six scoreless innings while touching 158 kilometers per hour (98 miles per hour) with his fastball. He improved to 9-4, moving into a tie for the KBO lead in wins. Team captain Yang Eui-ji drove in three runs on two hits.
Samsung's new foreign pitcher, Austin Voth, allowed just two runs over five innings in his KBO debut, but the Lions saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.
The Kiwoom Heroes defeated the Tigers 8-3 in Gwangju. Heroes’ right-hander Kim Yun-ha picked up the win after allowing three runs over five innings, snapping an 18-game personal losing streak dating back to August 2024.
Doosan Bears captain Yang Eui-ji bats in a KBO game against the Samsung Lions in Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on July 26.YONHAP
Despite the loss, Kia slugger Kim Do-yeong became the first player in the KBO this season to reach 30 home runs.
Kim moved past LG Twins’ Austin Dean, who currently has 29 home runs this season, into sole possession of the league lead. It was Kim’s third straight game with a home run.
In Daejeon, the Hanwha Eagles defeated the Twins 14-4.
The Eagles led 4-0 through six innings before the Twins erased the deficit with four runs in the top of the eighth. The Eagles answered with a 10-run outburst in the bottom half. Pinch hitter Han Ji-youn put Hanwha back in front with a three-run homer — his first of the season — before back-to-back home runs by Roh Si-hwan and Heo In-seo sealed the dramatic victory.
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.
