# The two heroes of last year's Korean Series are back

The two heroes of last year's Korean Series are back. Austin tied the game, and Oh Hwan changed it.

Sunday's bloodbath utilized 14 pitchers for both teams. The baseball adage that a game like this is decided by a 'big one' proved to be true.

LG won the third game of the weekend series against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Wednesday, 6-4, thanks to a walk-off home run by Oh Ji-hwan in the top of the eighth inning. The 18,914 Busan baseball fans who packed Sajik Stadium couldn't turn the game around.

With the victory, LG improved to 23 wins (18 W, 2 L, 2 D) and continued its pursuit of the top spot. The series sweep also marked the fifth consecutive regular-season victory for LG, which showed why the team is a powerhouse that won its first title in 29 years last season.

Lotte, on the other hand, slumped to its 24th loss of the season (13-1), losing the momentum it had gained to move into a tie for first place with the ninth-place Hanwha Eagles. The gap between them and Hanwha has also been reestablished, showing the limitations of Lotte's inability to climb out of the bottom of the standings despite the loss of their star player.

For LG, the debut of "genius hitter" Kim Bum-seok as the starting catcher was no small feat.

Before the game, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "Coach Park Kyung-wan trained me a lot. I believe in Coach Park. I want to start him as a catcher once a week from June at the earliest, and it will be possible by next year at the latest." He also said, [카지노사이트 ](https://www.casinositekim.com/)"With a father's heart, he should lose weight. Coach Park has had surgery on both ankles and knees despite being thin. Kim Bum-seok's current body shape makes it difficult to see him as a catcher in the long term."

Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung added veteran infielder Kim Min-sung to the first-team squad for the time being because he was concerned about Han Dong-hee and Jeong-hoon's injuries. He will decide on the roster after monitoring the condition of the two players. Noh Jin-hyuk and Hwang Sung-bin were coy about when they will return to the first team.

It was an all-out war with 14 pitchers on the mound, seven from each side. The game began with a starter's duel between Lotte's Hong Min-ki and LG's Kang Hyo-jong and a rookie pitcher, but Hong Min-ki didn't last past the third inning and Kang Hyo-jong lasted less than two innings before the bullpen was activated.

It was LG who struck first. In the top of the first inning, Lotte shortstop Park Seung-wook capitalized on a series of errors. Park reached on an error, stole second and easily scored on two infield grounders. Another error on Austin's at-bat sparked LOTTE manager Kim Tae-hyung. In the top of the first inning, there was a skit on defense where the third baseman (Lee Hak-joo) and shortstop (Park Seung-wook) switched positions.

Lotte tied the game in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run home run by Jeon Jun-woo. In the bottom of the second inning, with runners on first and third, Park Seung-wook singled and LG starter Kang Hyo-jong was replaced. The second pitcher, Lee Woo-chan, struck out Ko Seung-min Reyes with the bases loaded to end the inning without further damage.

Lotte starter Hong Min-ki was also removed in the top of the third after giving up an RBI single to Hong Chang-ki following back-to-back wild pitches. LG tied the game in the top of the fourth inning when Shin Min-jae was thrown out at first base with runners on first and third, but Oh Ji-hwan came home on a double to tie the game.

LG fell behind 3-4 again in the bottom of the sixth when Kim Yoo-young gave up a single to Lotte's Yoon Dong-hee with two outs. However, Koh Seung-min's foul fly was caught by catcher Kim Bum-seok in a fine play. In the bottom of the seventh inning, they again faced a bases-loaded situation, but Kim Jin-sung struck out Lotte's Kim Min-seok, who came in to pinch-hit.

In the fateful eighth inning, Austin hit a solo shot to tie the game against LOTTE pitcher Choi Joon-yong. After Hong Chang-ki singled, pinch-hitter Choi Seung-min was thrown out at the plate, but Koo Bon-hyuk walked to load the bases.

Then, Korean Series hero Oh Ji-hwan erased his previous slump with a two-run blast to right-center field, sending the LG fans into a frenzy. LG failed to score another run with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning, but closer Yoo Young-chan, who came on in the bottom of the ninth, closed the game for the second straight day.

"It was a bullpen day today, and our pitchers did their job well, especially Kim Jin-sung, who was able to prevent the bases loaded in the seventh inning to bring the game to a close, and Austin's tying home run in the eighth inning and Oh Ji-hwan's game-winning two-run homer in the ninth inning," said Yoon Kyung-yeop.

"I'm hoping this home run will help him get his batting average up. I would like to praise our players for their concentration throughout the three-game series and thank them for their hard work." "I think we rewarded our fans who came all the way to Busan to support us with LG-like baseball and victory after a long time, and I thank them for their support," he emphasized.
