2026 KBO League Highlights: SSG Lands Key Victory Over Lotte with Late-Game Heroics

Guillermo Heredia / Photo=DB

[Sports Today reporter Kang Tae-gu] The SSG Landers held onto first place after edging the Lotte Giants in a 7-6 slugfest at Busan’s Sajik Baseball Stadium.

SSG rallied for the win April 4 in the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, improving to 6-1 with their third straight victory. Lotte dropped to 2-5 and extended its losing streak to five games.

Starter Kim Geon-woo struggled for SSG, lasting just 1.1 innings while allowing five runs on three hits (one homer) and issuing three walks, though he was not charged with the loss.

Offensively, Guillermo Heredia produced multiple hits, including the decisive RBI. Park Seong-han, Choi Jeong, Kim Jae-hwan, Go Myeong-jun and Choi Ji-hoon also collected multi-hit games.

Lotte starter Jeremy Visly lasted four innings, surrendering 10 hits while striking out four and walking three, and exited without a decision after allowing six runs.

SSG’s offense struck first. In the top of the first, Park Seong-han doubled and stole second, and after Choi Jeong walked, Kim Jae-hwan’s grounder deflected off the first baseman to score the opening run with one out and runners at the corners.

With one out and runners at the corners, Go Myeong-jun struck out, but Choi Ji-hoon followed with an RBI single to right and Kim Seong-wook added a two-run hit, pushing SSG ahead 4-0.

Lotte answered in the bottom of the first. Reyes, Son Ho-young and Jeon Jun-woo drew consecutive walks to load the bases with no outs, and Han Dong-hee’s two-run single plus No Jin-hyuk’s sacrifice fly cut the deficit to 4-3.

Lotte tied the game in the second when leadoff hitter Yoo Kang-nam deposited Kim Geon-woo’s second pitch, a 144 km/h fastball, over the center-field wall for a solo homer.

In the third, No Jin-hyuk put Lotte ahead with a two-run shot to center-right after Han Dong-hee reached on a walk, giving the Giants a 6-4 lead.

SSG answered in the fourth. After Heredia doubled to put a runner on second with one out, Choi Jeong delivered an RBI single. Kim Jae-hwan’s follow-up hit and Go Myeong-jun’s two-run double tied the game at 6-6.

The bullpens then took over, and SSG broke the tie first. In the top of the seventh, after Ahn Sang-hyun’s hit and Jo Hyung-woo’s sacrifice bunt moved runners, Park Seong-han’s advancing hit set up Heredia’s run-scoring single that put SSG back in front.

Trying to close it out, SSG turned to Jo Byung-hyun in the ninth. He allowed a hit to Hwang Sung-bin and a walk to Jeon Jun-woo but stranded both and preserved the 7-6 victory.

[Sports Today reporter Kang Tae-gu sports@stoo.com]
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