The dreamlike 11-game winning streak is over. The Doosan Bears lost their fourth straight game and failed to jump to the top of the standings. The defense collapsed as if the 11-game winning streak had revealed its nakedness. With Doosan already trailing LG Electronics 2-7, the Jamsil rivalry is a complete reversal from 2018 바카라(Doosan LG Electronics 15-1).
On July 29, Doosan lost 6-7 against the LG Twins in Jamsil. The loss snapped a four-game losing streak for Doosan, which remained in third place in the league with 44 wins, one draw, and 40 losses on the season.
Desperate to end the losing streak, Doosan sent Kim Dong-ju to the mound. Until the fourth inning, both teams remained scoreless. Kim worked through the first and fourth innings by inducing groundouts.
Doosan outfielder Jung Soo-bin tries to make a jumping catch to catch Moon Bo-kyung’s hit in the top of the ninth inning against LG Electronics in Jamsil on July 29. Photo (Jamsil) by Kim Young-gu
However, Kim Dong-joo faltered sharply in the fifth inning. After being hit by a leadoff single from Moon Bo-kyung, Kim put runners on first and second with a sacrifice bunt. He then gave up a four-pitch walk to Park Hae-min. Eventually, the Doosan bench brought in the bullpen early.
Kim Myung-shin took the mound with runners on first and second and faced Shin Min-jae. With runners on first and second and one out, Kim induced a swinging strikeout to save the day.
However, Kim gave up a high four-pitch walk to the next batter, Hong Chang-ki, and then gave up a two-run single to left field to Moon Sung-joo. A throwing error in left field led to another run. Catcher Yang Yang-ji received a home run from backup pitcher Kim Myung-shin and tagged him out, but after video review, the safe call was overturned due to a home-blocking foul. Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop immediately protested the call, but the result remained unchanged and he was ejected.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Doosan rallied to tie the game at 3-3 with RBI singles by Jung Soo-bin and Kim Jae-hwan. In the bottom of the sixth, with runners on first and third, Yang Chan-yeol hit a ground ball to tie the game at 4-4.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Doosan capitalized on the change in pitcher Ham Deok-ju. Kang Seung-ho hit an RBI triple with the bases loaded, and then Heo Kyung-min followed with an RBI single to left to make it 6-4.
Doosan infielder Kim Jae-ho attempts to make a throw against LG in Jamsil on July 29. Photo (Jamsil)=Kim Young-gu
However, in the top of the ninth inning, the Doosan defense had a momentary lapse. After giving up a leadoff double to Moon Bo-kyung in the top of the ninth, Doosan induced Park Hae-min to fly out to center field with runners on first and second. The ball was misplayed between the center fielder and second baseman, and the overlapping defensive actions of second baseman Lee Yoo-chan and center fielder Jung Soo-bin led to a hit. Jung Soo-bin could have made a diving catch, but the overlap between Lee and Dong-sun caused him to miss the ball.
Doosan then induced Shin Min-jae to ground out to shortstop with runners on first and third. However, shortstop Kim Jae-ho made a throwing error to second base and was unable to get the out, and the runners were on first and third again. In the end, Doosan allowed Hong Chang-ki to ground out to second base to tie the game at 6-6 and send the game into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th inning, Doosan again fell short on defensive details. With the bases loaded and two outs, Austin Dean hit a fly ball to right field. Given the runners on second and third, it should have been caught by the onrushing right fielder Yang Chan-yeol. However, due to the overlap in the call, Yang hesitated for a moment, and Lee caught the grounder. Since he was running in the opposite direction from third base, it was obviously too late to turn around and make the throw.
After allowing the runners to advance to third, Doosan eventually gave up a single to Oh Ji-hwan. Park Dong-won’s fly ball to left field in the second out of the inning was also dangerously misplayed as the left fielder’s throw to shortstop Kim Jae-ho overlapped. It could have easily resulted in an extra run.
Doosan catcher Yang Yang-ji tags out Hong Chang-ki on July 29 against LG in Jamsil, but the run was disallowed due to a video replay review of a home-blocking foul. Photo (Jamsil) by Kim Young-gu
As a result, Doosan lost its fourth straight game, putting its third place in the league in jeopardy. They are now just one game behind the fourth-place NC Dinos and two games behind the fifth-place KT WIZ.
The upset loss on the 29th was also a day that revealed the nakedness beneath an 11-game winning streak. Defensive details are a fundamental part of a strong team. It’s worth pointing out that there were moments throughout the game, especially in the ninth and 10th innings, when the game was momentarily overtaken by questionable call plays. As a result, the lack of infield and outfield coordination throughout the season has led to a butterfly effect that has shaken even the most detailed defensive breathing. It was a day that reminded me of Jeong Soo-bin’s comment, “If you coordinate your breathing frequently, it will definitely make it easier to call plays.”
In any case, in the worst possible atmosphere, Doosan desperately needs to prevent a fifth straight loss in 30 days. In a complete reversal of 2018, the mood now seems to be that no matter what Doosan does, LG is going to hang them out to dry. With Brandon Waddell on the mound, it will be interesting to see if the Doosan bats can come through against Choi Won-tae, who is at the peak of his powers.