BUSAN, South Korea (Interstat) — In a commanding performance that defied pregame projections, the Doosan Bears routed the Lotte Giants 9-1 on Wednesday evening at a subdued Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium, securing a series victory behind a dominant start from right-hander Gwak Been and a late offensive explosion.

A crowd of 19,425 watched as the visiting Bears, installed as slight underdogs by oddsmakers, systematically dismantled the Giants, handing Lotte its eighth loss in the last ten games. The victory improved Doosan’s season record to 9-11-1 across all competitions, while Lotte fell deeper into the standings at 6-14-1.

The narrative of the game pivoted on the mound duel early before unraveling completely for the home side in the final frame. Doosan’s Gwak Been delivered his third stellar start in a row, earning the win with six strong innings. He allowed one earned run on six hits, striking out seven and walking one. His performance set a firm tone, contrasting with a gritty but ultimately insufficient outing from Lotte’s starter Kim Jin-uk, who struck out nine over five innings but was tagged for three runs on eight hits.

The scoring began in a messy second inning for Lotte. With two outs and the bases loaded, Doosan center fielder Jung Soo-bin hit a sharp single down the left field line. The play was compounded by a critical error from Lotte left fielder Jeon Jun-woo, which allowed two runs to score and gave the Bears an early 2-0 lead they would not relinquish.

Lotte scratched its lone run across in the third inning. Jeon Min-jae led off with a single, advanced to third on a single by Jo-jo Reyes, and scored on a sacrifice fly by No Jin-hyuk, cutting the deficit to 2-1. That, however, would be the extent of the Giants’ offensive response. They stranded runners in scoring position in the third and eighth innings, repeatedly failing to capitalize against Gwak Been and a quartet of Doosan relievers who combined for three shutout innings.

Jung Soo-bin provided a key insurance run in the fifth, launching a solo home run to right field off Kim Jin-uk to extend the Bears’ lead to 3-1. The game remained tight until the ninth inning, when Doosan broke it open against the Lotte bullpen, turning a close contest into a lopsided affair.

The most important sequence of the game occurred in that top of the ninth inning. Leading 4-1 after a seventh-inning sacrifice fly by Yang Eui-ji, the Bears sent nine men to the plate and put the game completely out of reach. Park Chan-ho led off with an infield single, stole second, and advanced to third on a walk. After a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, veteran catcher Yang Eui-ji delivered the decisive blow, a two-run double down the right field line. Pinch-hitter Lee Yu-chan followed with another two-run single, capping a five-run outburst that transformed a save situation into a comfortable victory.

Yang Eui-ji was a constant threat for Doosan, finishing a perfect 3 for 3 with a walk, a sacrifice fly, and three RBIs. Jung Soo-bin added three RBIs on his home run and key second-inning single. The Bears racked up 14 hits in total, while Lotte managed eight but went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.

Doosan’s bullpen was flawless. Yang Jae-hun, Kim Jeong-woo, and Lee Byeong-heon followed Gwak Been, with Lee working the ninth in a non-save situation. Lotte relievers Choi E-jun, Hyeon Do-hoon, and Kim Gang-hyun were largely effective until the ninth-inning collapse.

The result contradicted the pregame analytics. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a narrow 4-3 Doosan victory, while its ELO system gave Lotte a 50.4 percent probability to win. The total score of 10 runs surpassed the over/under line of 9.5.

The Bears have now won two straight in Busan after a 6-2 victory on Tuesday. They will go for the series sweep on Thursday before returning to Seoul for a weekend set against the LG Twins. Lotte, mired in a prolonged slump, will look to salvage the final game of the series before embarking on a road trip to face the Kia Tigers.