Doosan Bears vs Lotte Giants

The game began as a pitchers' duel between two of the KBO's most reliable arms. Doosan's Kwak Bin and Lotte's Park Se-woong traded zeroes through the first two innings, with neither side able to generate sustained offence.

The match flipped in the bottom of the third. The Bears strung together three runs on multiple hits, taking advantage of a Lotte error to extend the inning. With two outs, a double brought home the first run, and consecutive RBI singles followed to push the lead to 3-0. The rally was fuelled by the bottom of the order, who reached base against Park Se-woong and kept the line moving.

Kwak Bin made the lead stand. The right-hander worked six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out four and walking one. Lotte's only hit through six was a soft single that never led to a serious scoring threat.

Lotte finally broke through in the eighth. A leadoff single and a walk put two runners on, and a sacrifice fly brought home the Giants' only run. But the Doosan bullpen—led by relievers who inherited a 3-0 lead—prevented any further damage.

Park Se-woong was charged with the loss, allowing three runs (two earned) over six innings. He scattered six hits, walked two and struck out three.

The third inning was decisive. After two quiet frames, Doosan's bats came alive against Park Se-woong, who had retired the first six batters in order. An error by Lotte's defence prolonged the inning, and the Bears capitalised with a two-out rally that produced all three runs. It was the only multi-run inning of the game, and Lotte never recovered.

Kwak Bin (Doosan) — The Bears' ace improved to 10-5 on the season with six scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to approximately 2.40. He threw 94 pitches, scattered two hits, and recorded four strikeouts. Kwak Bin has now won three consecutive decisions against Lotte in 2026, holding the Giants to a .176 batting average across those starts.

Doosan's third-inning rally — While no single batter dominated, the Bears' bottom-of-the-order patience against Park Se-woong produced three runs on three hits and a walk, with a Lotte error extending the frame. The sequence snapped a 12-inning scoreless stretch for the Doosan offence dating back to Friday's loss.

Lotte's bullpen — After Park Se-woong departed, Lotte's relievers held Doosan scoreless over the final three innings, giving the Giants a chance to mount a comeback. They allowed just two hits and struck out three.

Park Se-woong (Lotte) — Despite the loss, the right-hander pitched effectively outside the third inning, retiring the side in order in four of his six frames. His final line: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, 94 pitches.

Doosan out-hit Lotte 11-2, but the gap in the scoreboard was much narrower. The Bears' 11 hits produced only three runs, reflecting a lack of clutch hitting outside the third inning — they left eight runners on base. Lotte managed just two hits total, both singles, and never advanced a runner past second base until the eighth inning. Kwak Bin generated 10 swinging strikes on 94 pitches, consistently ahead in counts (first-pitch strike rate above 70%). The game featured just one extra-base hit: a double during Doosan's third-inning rally.

Doosan improved to 58-50-4, holding fifth place in the KBO standings. They trail fourth-place Kia by 6.5 games and sit 7.5 games back of league-leading KT. The win ended their two-game slide and gave them a split of the weekend series against Lotte, with one game remaining in the three-game set.

Lotte dropped to 50-58-2, remaining in sixth place. Their five-game winning streak — which included a dominant 11-4 victory over Doosan on Friday — came to an end. The Giants now sit 14.5 games off the lead and 7 games behind Doosan for fifth place.

Up next: Doosan faces Lotte again on Monday (24 August, 19:00 KST) in the series finale. Kwak Bin is not expected to pitch again in this series after his Sunday start. Lotte will look to avoid dropping the series after winning the opener.

Kwak Bin reminded everyone why he is one of the KBO's elite arms, completely neutralising Lotte's offence after they had scored 11 runs the previous game. Doosan's third-inning burst was enough, but the Bears will want more consistency from their lineup against Park Se-woong's successor on Monday. Lotte's streak is over, but their recent form (7-3 over their last 10 games entering Sunday) suggests this is a speed bump, not a collapse.