"It is a crisis situation."

KIA Tigers lost 3-5 to the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2025 professional baseball game held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 27th. They won the first game 11-6, but after losing the second game 10-17 the previous day, they missed the winning series. Against NC and Kiwoom, which they thought were favorable, they recorded 2 wins and 3 losses in the opening two cards.

Although they turned the game around to 3-2 with Na Sung-bum's two-run homer in the 7th inning, the closer Jeong Hae-young, who came in last, could not overcome the pressure and allowed consecutive walks after one out, followed by a two-run double to Choi Joo-hwan. They collapsed by giving up additional runs. If they had maintained the one-point lead, they could have gained momentum in a difficult situation, but the atmosphere only worsened.

Defensive errors held them back for two consecutive days. A crucial error by the shortstop occurred during the game against Kiwoom on the 26th. In the top of the 2nd inning, with two outs and runners on 1st and 3rd while leading 2-0, Yoon Do-hyun fumbled a ground ball rolling toward the shortstop. The batter runner wasn't fast, and even if he had fielded and thrown calmly, he could have easily made the play. This error led to four runs.

Errors on the field also hindered them that day. Starting pitcher Kim Do-hyun pitched impressively. In the 3rd inning, after one out, third baseman Byeon Woo-hyeok missed a choppy ball hit by Puig. They allowed a right-field hit to Lee Joo-hyung, and with runners on 1st and 3rd, a sacrifice fly by Cardenas gave up the first run.

In the top of the 5th inning, with the score tied at 1-1, they allowed a run due to an error during a one-out, bases-loaded situation. They could have caught Cardenas with a fly out to center field and then caught Puig with a run down, but catcher Han Joon-soo's haste led to allowing the runner on third to dash home. Shortstop Kim Gyu-seong also made a misguided home throw. While this was recorded as an error by Kim Gyu-seong, the judgment error of Han Joon-soo's throw was also significant. The absence of regular shortstop Park Chan-ho was felt acutely.

Their concentration dropped on offense as well. In the opening two-game series against NC, they won the first game with a late offensive surge, but lost the second game 4-5. Although they won the first game against Kiwoom significantly, they missed many crucial chances in the second game. In the third game that day, they only managed three runs. They failed to take down Kiwoom's high school rookie starters for two consecutive days. The absence of key offense player Kim Do-young was significant. With Park Chan-ho also out, it is challenging to arrange the lineup. Patrick Wisdom's expected key hits have also not been forthcoming.

Moreover, the bullpen they relied on was not at full strength. Fourth starter Yoon Young-cheol could only pitch for 2 innings in the game on the 26th. Among the relief pitchers, Lim Ki-young struggled and was sent down to the minor league. Jo Sang-woo, who was brought in as a decisive pitcher, has not yet shown the ability to overpower opponents. His pitching is not at his best. Additionally, closer Jeong Hae-young also suffered a painful blown save. Choi Ji-min, who had performed well in two games, allowed a bases-loaded situation that day. Kwak Do-kyu also looks precarious.

With a deficit after the five games expected at the start, the initial strategy has also been thrown off. Manager Lee Beom-ho noted, "At the beginning of the season, I carefully prepared for an 8-game stretch against NC, Kiwoom, and Hanwha. I thought if we performed well in those 8 games, we could do well against Samsung and LG. It is true that with Kim Do-young and Park Chan-ho injured, there is great pressure in both offense and defense. We are struggling as we cannot use all our available resources," he sighed.

He added, "Right now, it is a critical situation. The pitchers are not yet in their best condition. It's a tough time in all aspects of offense and defense. We can go back to full strength when Do-young and Chan-ho return. Once they come back and the pitchers regain their condition, we have the strength to rise up. We need to hold on until then." They will face a challenging three-game series against the Hanwha Eagles, who were recently swept by LG starting on the 28th.

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