The Kiwoom Heroes finished the exhibition games in 3rd place, breaking everyone's expectations with a three-game winning streak.

Kiwoom won 3-2 against the Lotte Giants in the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League' match held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 18th. With this victory, Kiwoom clinched their third consecutive win with a record of 6 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses for a winning percentage of .667, wrapping up the exhibition games tied for 3rd place in the league.

Starting pitcher Jeong Hyun-woo recorded 4 innings with 3 hits allowed, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs (1 unearned). Despite being a rookie pitcher, he performed his role without being greatly shaken by fielding errors. The bullpen, consisting of Kim Joo-hoon (1 inning, no earned runs), Park Yun-sung (1 inning, no earned runs), Lee Kang-jun (1 inning, no earned runs), Won Jong-hyun (1 inning, no earned runs), and Joo Seung-woo (1 inning, no earned runs), secured the team's victory.

In the batting lineup, rookie infielder Yeo Dong-wook became the star of the game with a go-ahead home run in the 8th inning. He made a strong impression by hitting home runs in both his first at-bat of his professional debut and his last at-bat of the exhibition games. Park Joo-hong also contributed with 2 hits and 1 RBI in 4 at-bats.

Kiwoom entered scoring position in the bottom of the 2nd inning with one out when Choi Joo-hwan hit a double, putting Lotte ahead 1-0. Yeo Dong-wook struck out, but Kim Jae-hyun hit a 1-RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. In the 5th inning, trailing 1-2, lead-off batter Kim Jae-hyun reached base on a hit by pitch, and Park Joo-hong hit a 1-RBI double, leveling the score again.

Later, in the 8th inning with a tense game continuing, Yeo Dong-wook hit a go-ahead solo home run against Lotte's closer Kim Won-jung. It was his second home run of the exhibition games. Kiwoom ended the game on a high note with a three-game winning streak as closer Joo Seung-woo neatly blanked the Lotte batting lineup in the 9th.

Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki noted in a post-game interview, "Yeo Dong-wook's go-ahead home run drove the final nail in the coffin of the game. I liked his ability to maintain his own swing against the opposing team's closer despite being in an unfavorable ball count," expressing hope for Yeo Dong-wook's continued performance.

"Starting pitcher Jeong Hyun-woo showed impressive poise and confident game management that was unexpected for a rookie," said Hong Won-ki. "He remained calm and continued pitching even in crisis situations, which was impressive. He is raising his condition well ahead of the opening. The relievers who followed also executed their roles faithfully with no earned runs."

Although he has been evaluated as a strong candidate for the bottom of the standings this season, manager Hong Won-ki, who finished the exhibition games in 3rd place, stated, "It seems we finished the exhibition games well. We will thoroughly prepare during the remaining period until the opening," promising to achieve good results in the regular season.

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