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Jeon Min-jae’s three-run homer seals sweep for Lotte Giants

Published: 19 May. 2025, 11:29 Updated: 21 May. 2025, 14:18

Lotte Giants shortstop Jeon Min-jae hits a home run during the KBO game against the the Samsung Lions at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on May 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Lotte Giants starting shortstop Jeon Min-jae marked his return from injury with a three-run home run that lifted the Busan club to a weekend sweep on Sunday.

Jeon's clutch performance came as tensions heightened, leading to a bench-clearing incident and raising the stakes on and off the field at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan.

The Giants beat the Samsung Lions 6-3 in Sunday's game, partly thanks to Jeon’s go-ahead homer in the fifth inning and a solid start from Tucker Davidson, who gave up one run over six innings with five hits and eight strikeouts.

Combined with two wins in Saturday's doubleheader, the Giants swept the three-game series. The result pulled them into a tie for second place with the Hanwha Eagles, who have recently slumped.

The day’s spotlight was on Jeon, who had been sidelined after taking a pitch to the head during a game against the Kiwoom Heroes on April 29.

Though he avoided a skull fracture, he suffered dizziness and bleeding within the eye that kept him out until Saturday. He returned in style, collecting three hits, three RBIs and two runs scored in the doubleheader.

Jeon joined the Giants from the Doosan Bears in a 3-for-2 trade in November 2023 and quickly secured the starting shortstop role this season with consistent hitting and reliable defense.

He also batted .387 with one home run, 10 RBIs and 14 runs scored in his first 30 games of the 2025 season, earning a nomination for the KBO’s monthly MVP for March and April.

His heroics continued Sunday. With Lotte leading 2-0 in the fifth inning and runners on second and third with two outs, Jeon took a 135-kilometer-per-hour (83-mile-per-hour) slider from Yang Chang-seop over the left field wall for a three-run blast.

Lotte Giants shortstop Jeon Min-jae, center, celebrates with his teammates during the KBO game against the Samsung Lions at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on May 18. [YONHAP]

Tensions flared in the next at-bat when Yang’s 148-kilometer-per-hour fastball narrowly missed the head of Lotte’s Yoon Dong-hee.

Earlier, the Lions' Lee Seung-hyun had been ejected for hitting the Giants' Jang Doo-sung with a pitch to the head.

Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung immediately stormed the field and confronted Samsung catcher Kang Min-ho.

The Giants poured out of the dugout, met by Lions manager Park Jin-man and his squad, triggering a brief bench-clearing standoff. The situation calmed quickly after a short exchange between the two managers.

The Giants maintained their lead and closed out the game without further incident.

Elsewhere in the KBO, the LG Twins avenged Saturday's doubleheader losses with a 5-1 win over the KT Wiz at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul, becoming the first team to reach 30 wins this season and holding firm at the top of the standings.

Over in Ulsan, the NC Dinos shut out the Heroes 5-0. In Gwangju, the Kia Tigers beat the Doosan Bears 5-4.

The SSG Landers also beat the Eagles 7-3 in Daejeon, a day after Eagles pitcher Wilmer Font tied the KBO League single-game strikeout record.

Font struck out 18 batters in 8 innings during the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, matching the record set by Sun Dong-yol on June 19, 1991, in a 13-inning game.

Font’s performance set a record for most strikeouts in a regulation game, topping Ryu Hyun-jin’s 17 strikeouts in 2010.

Sunday's games across the country also drew 89,654 fans in total, pushing the season total to 4,006,296, the fastest the KBO has surpassed 4 million spectators — just 230 games into the season.

The league’s average attendance is 17,419, indicating a historic surge in fan interest.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]