KBO Playoffs: Lotte Punches Ticket to Round Two

BUSAN, South Korea -- The Lotte Giants advanced to the second round of the KBO playoffs with a dramatic 4-3, extra-innings win over the Doosan Bears to take the first round series, three games to one. Lotte was the first team to win a home game in the series, and their timely late inning rally's were key, as they had to come from behind in every game in the series to win.

Doosan reliever Scott Proctor became an instant celebrity to Lotte fans, as his wild pitch and subsequent throwing error by catcher Yang Eui-ji let Park Joon-suh score the game winning run in the bottom of the tenth.

After Lotte fell behind 3-0 by the bottom of the eighth, fans were fearing another repeat of 2010 when the Giants collapsed to Doosan after a 2-0 series lead, but Kim Ju-chan's double got the bats in motion, and Jeon Joon-woo tied the score with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at three.

Lotte reliever Jung Dae-hyun won the MVP of the series, gaining a win and two saves, pitching four innings without giving up a hit.

The Giants now move to the second round, a five-game series with second-place SK Wyverns, which gets underway on Tuesday in Incheon.

SK Series at a Glance

Game 1 Tuesday, October 16 - Munhak 6:00 p.m.

Game 2 Wednesday, October 17 - Munhak 6:00 p.m.

Game 3 Friday, October 19 - Sajik 6:00 p.m.

Game 4 Saturday, October 20 - Sajik 2:00 p.m. (If necessary)

Game 5 Monday, October 22 - Munhak 2:00 p.m. (If necessary)

Lead photo courtesy of the Busan Ilbo.

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