Lotte Giants Lead KBO Spring Training: What You Need to Know About Their Winning Strategy

Yu Gang-nam / Photo=DB

[Sports Today reporter Lee Sang-pil] The Lotte Giants moved to the top of the exhibition standings after a 10-6 victory over the Hanwha Eagles.

Lotte beat Hanwha 10-6 on March 22 at Sajik Stadium in Busan in the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League exhibition game.

The Giants improved to 7-2-1 in the exhibition schedule and remain in first place, sitting one win away from clinching the exhibition title.

Hanwha, meanwhile, fell to 4-6 amid a losing stretch.

Yu Gang-nam led Lotte’s offense, hitting two homers and driving in five. Reyes and Shin Yun-hoo each supplied two-run homers. On the mound, starter Beasley delivered a solid outing, working five innings, allowing five hits, striking out three and surrendering one run.

For Hanwha, Kang Baek-ho and Heo In-seo homered, but their efforts couldn’t prevent the loss. Starter Hernandez lasted five innings, giving up five runs on three hits while striking out seven and walking four.

Lotte grabbed control early. In the bottom of the third, leadoff man Hwang Sung-bin drew a four-pitch walk, and Reyes followed with a two-run shot over the right-field wall.

The inning continued to swing Lotte’s way. With two outs and runners on first and second after a walk to Yoon Dong-hee and a single by Jeon Jun-woo, Yu Gang-nam crushed a three-run homer to push the lead to 5-0.

Hanwha started to rally in the top of the fifth. After a hit by Ha Ju-seok and a productive advance by Heo In-seo produced a one-out, runners-at-the-corners chance, Shim Woo-jun delivered an RBI double to cut the deficit. In the sixth, with one out and a runner on first, Kang Baek-ho hit a two-run homer to pull Hanwha within two.

Lotte responded in the bottom of the sixth. Following Kim Min-sung’s single, Yu Gang-nam launched a two-run homer to restore a 7-3 lead. In the seventh, Shin Yun-hoo added a two-run blast, and in the eighth Jang Doo-sung followed with an RBI single, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Hanwha mounted one more charge in the top of the ninth when Heo In-seo hit a three-run homer, but Lotte had already taken control. The game ended with Lotte securing a 10-6 win.

[Sports Today reporter Lee Sang-pil sports@stoo.com]
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