The frustration of LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yup was on full display in his team’s latest defeat. On May 12 at Seoul’s Jamsil Baseball Stadium, LG suffered a 1-9 loss to the Samsung Lions in the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League.
The immediate culprit was pitcher Jang Hyun-sik, who surrendered a grand slam to Jeon Byung-woo in the top of the eighth inning, sealing a three-game losing streak for LG and failing to halt Samsung’s surging win streak.
However, the deeper issue lay with the offense. Despite collecting seven hits and six walks—putting over 10 runners on base—LG managed to drive in just one run. The lineup reached base in every inning except the fourth, and from the fifth inning onward, they consistently had scoring opportunities. Yet timely hits were nowhere to be found.
In the first inning, Koo Bon-hyuk reached base with one out, but Austin Dean and Cheon Sung-ho failed to bring him home. The second inning saw Oh Ji-hwan single with one out, only for Park Hae-min to hit a line drive that turned into a double play. In the third, Park Dong-won led off with an infield single, but Hong Chang-ki grounded into a double play.
The fifth inning offered a golden chance when Samsung starter Choi Won-tae lost his command, issuing consecutive walks to Song Chan-eui and Oh Ji-hwan to load the bases with no outs. But Park Hae-min failed to execute a sacrifice bunt, popping out to the infield, and both Lee Jae-won and Park Dong-won made outs to end the threat. In the sixth, Hong Chang-ki singled and Koo Bon-hyuk walked, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Austin Dean then grounded into a double play, and Cheon Sung-ho lined out—though his hard-hit ball to left field was snagged by Samsung left fielder Koo Ja-wook for a spectacular catch.
LG finally broke through in the seventh inning with one out and a runner on second, as Park Hae-min drove in the tying run with a single off reliever Miyagi. But the offense stalled again: Lee Jae-won and Hong Chang-ki were retired. In the eighth, Koo Bon-hyuk walked and Austin Dean singled, putting runners on first and second with no outs, but Cheon Sung-ho struck out and Song Chan-eui grounded into a double play.
Overall, LG squandered three prime opportunities with runners on first and second and no outs, and hit into four double plays (including one that ended an inning). The lineup simply could not produce runs.
Before the game, manager Yeom had lamented, “We leave too many runners on base.” Despite boasting hitters like Koo Bon-hyuk, Austin Dean, Cheon Sung-ho, and Song Chan-eui—all batting over .300—LG consistently gets runners on but struggles to bring them home. Yeom, who prefers a stable batting order, has been forced to reshuffle the lineup almost daily in search of answers.
But even on this day, no solution emerged. With over 10 runners stranded and just one crossing the plate, LG missed multiple comeback chances in the middle innings. Eventually, a shaky bullpen collapsed, leading to a crushing defeat.
The loss dropped LG to a three-game losing streak, ceding second place to a surging Samsung (now on an eight-game win streak) and falling to third. With both closer Yoo Young-chan and cleanup hitter Moon Bo-kyung sidelined by injuries, LG now faces double the trouble: not only bullpen woes but also an increasingly stagnant offense. 
