The professional baseball defending champion KIA Tigers collapsed due to three consecutive bullpen failures. Even the traded pitcher Jo Sang-woo was shaken, leading to a shocking four-game losing streak.

KIA lost 4-5 in an away game against the Hanwha Eagles at the Hanwha Life Pokpark in Daejeon on the 29th. Although they were leading 4-3 until the 7th inning, they gave up 2 runs in the 8th inning, resulting in another late-game turnaround.

Having recently suffered four consecutive losses, the three consecutive comeback defeats are particularly painful. It all started on the 27th against the Gwangju Kiwoom, where closer Jung Hae-young, leading 3-2 in the 9th inning, gave up 3 runs and lost a game that was virtually in hand. Then, on the 28th against Hanwha in Daejeon, with a 2-0 lead, setup men Jeon Sang-hyun and Kwak Do-kyu allowed 5 consecutive walks and a home run, resulting in a disastrous 5-run inning and a comeback loss.

As if it couldn't get worse, on this day, the traded pitcher Jo Sang-woo also faltered, suffering another comeback defeat.

Starter Yang Hyun-jong pitched 6 innings, allowing 6 hits, 3 walks, 1 hit batter, and striking out 5 while giving up 3 runs (1 earned), achieving a quality start before being pulled. However, the bullpen couldn't hold up. In the 7th inning, Choi Ji-min was taken off with 2 outs and a runner on second, but Jo Sang-woo was introduced and got No Si-hwan to hit a ground ball to the shortstop to end the inning.

However, Jo Sang-woo created his own crisis in the 8th inning. He allowed a single to the leadoff hitter Chae Eun-sung of Hanwha, and then a flared ball from pinch hitter Moon Hyun-bin fell in front of the left fielder. With no outs and runners on first and second, the pitch to substitute Lee Do-yun was mishandled by catcher Han Jun-soo, allowing the runners on first and second to advance a base each. This was another stroke of bad luck for Jo Sang-woo due to the catcher's error.

With no outs and runners on second and third, Jo Sang-woo induced Lee Do-yun into a ground ball to the shortstop after a 9-pitch battle. While the runner on third was caught in a rundown out, Lee Do-yun advanced to second for 1 out with runners on second and third. When Hanwha brought in pinch hitter Ahn Chi-hong, KIA also responded by bringing in a new pitcher. Jo Sang-woo was taken out despite having only thrown 23 pitches and being able to pitch a little bit longer.

It seemed that closer Jung Hae-young, who had just returned after a day's rest, might be brought in early, but KIA's choice was Hwang Dong-ha. Though he had starting experience, Hwang Dong-ha was untested as a bullpen ace and was brought in under the pressure of having tying runners on base. In the end, the move to bring in Hwang Dong-ha failed. Hanwha's pinch hitter Ahn Chi-hong swung and missed at Hwang Dong-ha's first pitch fastball but did not miss the second pitch fastball that was over the plate, connecting for a 2-RBI single to left, giving Hanwha a 5-4 lead.

Hwang Dong-ha recorded a blown save, and Jo Sang-woo suffered his first loss of the season. Jo Sang-woo pitched ⅔ inning, giving up 2 hits and 2 runs (1 earned). His fastball reached a maximum speed of 145 km/h, which was not at his best. Had Jo Sang-woo been in good form, he could have continued pitching based on pitch count, but KIA opted for the change. Consequently, with Jo Sang-woo's loss, the shock of KIA's comeback defeat grew even larger.

Amid the bullpen crisis, the legendary pitcher Yang Hyun-jong's personal milestone of 180 career wins has also been postponed. Yang Hyun-jong, who is one win away from becoming the second pitcher in KBO League history to achieve 180 wins after Song Jin-woo (210 wins), has been stuck at 179 wins, unable to add to his tally in the last five games since September 8 of last year against the Gwangju Kiwoom.

KIA, which won the integrated championship last year with overwhelming strength, brought in Patrick Wisdom, who has 88 total home runs in Major League Baseball, and acquired national team bullpen pitcher Jo Sang-woo through a trade, earning them the label of 'special lecture.' However, from the opening week, injuries to Kim Do-young (hamstring) and Park Chan-ho (knee) caused emergency situations. While Na Sung-bum and Choi Hyung-woo have been performing well enough for the lineup to function, the bullpen has been rapidly shaking, leading to repeated comeback losses. With a 2-5 record after the opening seven games, they are tied for last place with Doosan and Lotte at 8th, marking a start they did not anticipate before the season.

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