Self-esteem that has collapsed to the bottom...Fall baseball → A master's boast that hurt his victory within three years? Will it become a reality?
Jan 28, 2025
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When he entered Busan, Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung was the only one. The master, who has advanced to the Korean Series for seven consecutive years and won three times, was full of confidence.
But the real wall was high. Lotte failed to advance to fall baseball in seventh place last year.
Young batters, including Son Ho-young, Yoon Dong-hee, Ko Seung-min, Na Seung-yeop, and Hwang Sung-bin, burst their potential all at once, creating a powerful lineup that ranks second in the team's batting average and second in the team's OPS (long hitting percentage + on-base percentage). The teaching of relatively young coaches such as Kim Tae-hyung, who is confident that he knows the hitter well, Kim Joo-chan (current KIA Tigers batting coach), and Lim Hoon was the result of their proper teaching.
On the other hand, the pitching staff was squeaky in many ways. Wilkerson-Barnes The two foreign pitchers performed well, but Wilkerson was not overwhelmed and Barnes was out injured for more than a month. At the beginning of the season, even Park Se-woong was shaken, and the lower-ranked starters, including Na Kyun-an, who was caught up in personal history, were also sluggish. Kim Jin-wook showed the possibility, but there was no talent to endure alone.
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Lotte didn't even have any special reinforcement last winter. It was easy just to manage the salary cap that hit FA Kim Won-joong and Koo Seung-min and was up to his neck. There was only a large-scale selection of nurturing players.
Still, overall, there are high expectations for the growth of young players. Rookie Kim Tae-hyun, who was ranked fourth overall, is also a good player.
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For manager Kim Tae-hyung, it is a fall baseball failure for two consecutive seasons following the last season of Doosan in 2022. Humiliating for a man who has been on the 'Korean Series' for seven consecutive years, not even fall baseball.
No other team is more desperate for fall baseball than Lotte. Including last year, it has only played fall baseball once in 12 years since 2012. The year 2017 was the last. Failed for 7 consecutive years from 2018.
If the conditions are narrowed down to the Korean Series, it has not seen a big stage in 25 seasons since 1999. Lee Dae-ho, who won seven hits and won two triple crowns, retired without advancing to the Korean Series.
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In the case of the starting team, Tucker Davidson, a new foreign player, is the biggest variable instead of Wilkerson. If Barnes and Park Se-woong show up in the second half of last year, Kim Jin-wook stabilizes in the fourth starting position, and one of the newcomers, including Na Kyun-an, Han Hyun-hee or Park Jin, settles down in the fifth starting position, it will be the icing on the cake.
The biggest expectations are on the bullpen. Choi Jun-yong returns from injury and reinforces Jung Cheol-won through a trade. Jung Cheol-won was the favorite of Kim Tae-hyung and Kim Sang-jin, the pitching coach of the Futures during his time at Doosan. The back door of Koo Seung-min, Choi Jun-yong, Jung Cheol-won and Kim Won-joong is the best if it is in normal operation.
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Will Kim Tae-hyung's inauguration aspirations be kept. Lotte officials and fans, who watched the past year, said in unison that despite the setbacks in fall baseball, 'Certainly the master is different' Some say "First of all, I want to be a strong team that consistently goes to autumn baseball." You can show the Korean Series or the championship in the season after renewing the contractThere is also talk of ".
Above all, coach Kim Tae-hyung's own pride must have been hurt the most. Will we show achievements to cover up the wounds this year.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
