The KIA Tigers snapped their two-game losing streak with a commanding 8-2 victory over the Lotte Giants at Sajik Stadium in Busan on May 8. The win lifted KIA to a 16-18 record for the season, while Lotte fell to 13-19.

KIA’s lineup featured Park Jae-hyun in left field, Park Sang-joon at first base, Kim Sun-bin at second base, Kim Do-young at third base, Aderlin Rodriguez as the designated hitter, Na Sung-bum in right field, Kim Ho-ryeong in center field, Kim Tae-gun behind the plate, and Park Min at shortstop. Hwang Dong-ha started on the mound.

Lotte countered with Jang Du-sung in center field, Ko Seung-min at second base, Victor Reyes in left field, Na Seung-yeop at first base, Jeon Jun-woo as the DH, Park Seung-wook at third base, Jeon Min-jae at shortstop, Yoon Dong-hee in right field, and Son Sung-bin as the catcher. Na Gyun-an took the hill as starter.

The game remained tight through six innings, with each side trading solo home runs and the starting pitchers performing solidly. KIA struck first in the top of the first when Park Jae-hyun drove Na Gyun-an’s slider over the right-field wall for his fourth homer of the season – the first leadoff home run of his career and the first in the first inning of his career.

Lotte answered in the fourth inning as leadoff hitter Ko Seung-min crushed a curveball into the right-center bleachers for his first home run of the year, tying the game at 1-1.

The pivotal moment came in the top of the seventh. With one out, Park Jae-hyun launched his second home run of the game, a solo shot. Park Sang-joon followed with a double, prompting Lotte to replace Na Gyun-an with Hyun Do-hoon. However, Kim Sun-bin singled and Kim Do-young walked to load the bases. A fielding error by the shortstop on a ball hit by Aderlin Rodriguez allowed a run to score without an out being recorded. Lotte then brought in Jung Hyun-soo, but Na Sung-bum’s sacrifice fly made it 4-1. Another pitching change to Choi Yi-joon didn’t help, as a wild pitch pushed the lead to 5-1.

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KIA extended its advantage in the top of the eighth. After a walk to Park Jae-hyun and a double by Park Sang-joon, the score became 6-1. Lotte had a chance to rally in the bottom half when Jang Du-sung singled and Victor Reyes singled with one out, but Na Seung-yeop’s fly ball led to Jang Du-sung being thrown out trying to return to second base, ending the inning.

KIA sealed the victory in the ninth inning when Aderlin Rodriguez crushed a two-run home run. With that blast, Rodriguez etched his name into KBO history: he became the first player ever to hit a home run on each of his first four hits since joining the league. The all-time record was set with four consecutive homers to open his KBO career.

Lotte managed a consolation run in the bottom of the ninth on walks to Kim Se-min and Yoon Dong-hee, followed by an RBI single from Yoo Kang-nam, but it was too little, too late.

KIA starter Hwang Dong-ha earned his third win of the season, allowing just one run over six innings. Relievers Jung Hae-young (1 inning, scoreless), Kim Bum-soo (1 inning, scoreless), and Jang Jae-hyuk (1 inning, one run) finished the game.

For Lotte, Na Gyun-an took the loss after allowing three runs in 6⅓ innings. The bullpen combination of Hyun Do-hoon (⅓ inning, two unearned runs), Jung Hyun-soo (⅓ inning, scoreless), Choi Yi-joon (1⅓ innings, one run), and Kyoama (1 inning, two runs) could not hold off the KIA attack.

Park Jae-hyun’s two home runs marked the first multi-homer game of his professional career, while Aderlin Rodriguez’s historic achievement highlighted an unforgettable night at Sajik Stadium.