KT Wiz Secures 5-4 Victory Over Lotte Giants: Key Moments from Children’s Day Showdown

League-leading KT Wiz showed late-game grit once again in a tight matchup on Children’s Day. Twice in the late innings the momentum threatened to slip away, but they stayed locked in, rallied and held onto first place.

On May 5 at Suwon KT Wiz Park, KT beat the Lotte Giants 5-4 in a 2026 KBO League home game. The win pushed KT closer to 20 victories this season, extended their winning streak to two games and snapped Lotte’s four-game run.

KT struck first. In the second inning, Sam Hilliard crushed a solo home run off Lotte starter Elvin Rodriguez to give KT a 1-0 lead. The offense squandered several chances — no outs with runners at second and third in the third, one out and a runner at second in the fourth, and no outs with a runner at second in the fifth — but starter So Hyeong-jun preserved the lead with five scoreless innings.

The game shifted in the sixth. With two outs and runners on second and third, Victor Reyes lined a two-run single through the middle to put Lotte up 2-1. KT answered immediately. In the bottom of the sixth, with the bases loaded and nobody out, Yu Jun-kyu’s RBI single and pinch-hitter Lee Jeong-hoon’s two-run knock came back-to-back, flipping the score to a 4-2 KT lead.

Lotte didn’t fold. They cut the deficit in the seventh and tied it in the eighth when Go Seung-min hit a sacrifice fly to center with one out and the bases loaded. Returning from suspension, Go went 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and a run, while Na Seung-yeop came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with an RBI.

In the end, veteran instincts decided it. In the bottom of the eighth, leadoff hitter Kim Sang-su reached on an infield single and hustled to third on Yu Jun-kyu’s sacrifice bunt after the defense failed to cover the play. With one out and a runner at third, Kwon Dong-jin ripped a go-ahead double over the right fielder’s head to make it 5-4.

Park Young-hyun closed it out. He entered during the eighth-inning jam, prevented any further damage and worked the ninth to record five outs and secure the win.

KT’s focus showed up on the box score. Kim Sang-su went 2-for-3 with two runs and served as a key offensive connector, and Hilliard added another homer to his season total. So Hyeong-jun didn’t get the decision but fulfilled his role with five scoreless innings.

A one-run game, multiple momentum swings and a final burst of focus — on Children’s Day in Suwon, the KT Wiz refused to waver and walked away with the victory.

Photo: Yonhap News