KBO Recap: Doosan Bears 3-1 Lotte Giants | August 23 Highlights & Scores

Game Summary

The Doosan Bears edged out the Lotte Giants 3-1 on Saturday night at Jamsil Stadium, snapping a brief offensive drought with timely hitting in the early innings. Kwak Bin’s dominant pitching performance—seven scoreless innings with just one hit allowed—proved to be the difference in a game that remained tightly contested throughout.

Lotte’s offense managed only scattered opportunities against a Bears pitching staff that seemed to find their rhythm after a shaky start. The Giants struck first with a solo run in the fourth inning, but that would be their only tally of the evening. By contrast, Doosan struck with purpose, plating all three runs by the end of the third inning and then sitting on that lead for the remainder of the contest.

The game featured the kind of defensive miscues that often determine close matchups in August baseball. Lotte committed two errors—one in the third inning and another in the ninth—that contributed to the Bears’ ability to build their advantage early. Still, both clubs managed to execute some sharp defensive plays when it mattered.

Pitching Performance

Park Se-woong took the loss for Lotte, allowing three runs on nine hits over six innings of work. He struck out five batters but couldn’t escape trouble in the early going, particularly in the third inning when the Bears manufactured their runs. The Giants’ bullpen held Doosan scoreless over the final three innings, with Park Jung-min striking out three in his inning of relief work.

Kwak Bin’s outing was the story of the night, however. The Bears’ right-hander was almost untouchable through seven innings, yielding just a single hit while walking two and fanning eight. He worked around some traffic on the basepaths but rarely found himself in genuine danger. Young-ha Lee came on for the ninth inning and threw a clean frame to secure the save, striking out all three batters he faced in the ninth.

Doosan’s bullpen encountered some shaky moments of their own. Taek-yeon Kim surrendered a run in the eighth inning before Takada steadied things. The wild pitches—one from Kwak Bin in the fourth and two more from the bullpen later on—suggested both teams were working with some tension on the mound.

Offensive Highlights

Park Chan-ho led the Bears’ charge with two hits in four at-bats, including the go-ahead double in the third inning that would prove decisive. Ahn Jae-suk went 3-for-4 with three doubles—an impressive display of gap hitting that kept the pressure on Lotte’s pitching staff. Yang Ui-ji and Severino each contributed a hit and an RBI as part of Doosan’s well-distributed attack.

Lotte’s bats remained largely quiet. Roh Jin-hyuk collected the Giants’ only hit in limited action, accounting for their sole run batted in. The Giants’ lack of offensive production reflected a broader problem: they generated just one hit through the first four innings and never really threatened to break through against Kwak Bin’s stuff.

Key Play

Park Chan-ho’s two-out, two-run double down the left field line in the third inning essentially decided the contest. With runners in scoring position, Chan-ho stepped up and laced a ball into the gap that the Lotte outfielders couldn’t track down cleanly. The play put Doosan ahead 2-0 at that point, and when Ahn Jae-suk plated another run moments later, the Bears had their three runs—which would be all they needed for the victory.

Chan-ho added another base hit later and even swiped a bag in the fourth inning, showing the kind of aggressive baserunning that Doosan employed to generate momentum early.

Standings Impact

With the victory, the Bears improved to 58-50-4 and maintained their grip on fifth place in the standings. Lotte, now sitting at 50-58-2, continues to struggle in sixth place, falling further back as the regular season winds toward its conclusion. The Giants’ inability to capitalize on opportunities against a beatable opponent leaves them facing an uphill battle in the playoff race.