It's water fountain, right? Half the team steal is out of the leadoff...12 joint baseball duo in a month

May 27, 2025

It's water fountain, right? Half the team steal is out of the leadoff...12 joint baseball duo in a month
Lotte-Kium match held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 1st. Lee Ho-joon at bat with two outs and a runner on first base in the top of the eighth inning. First base runner Kim Dong-hyuk is running to third base when the ball is out after he stole second base. Gocheok = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.5.1/



It's water fountain, right? Half the team steal is out of the leadoff...12 joint baseball duo in a month
The game between the Hanwha Eagles and the Lotte Giants at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 24th. Lotte's Jang Doo-sung is cheering after hitting a timely hit in the top of the seventh inning with no outs and runners on the second and third bases. Daejeon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.05.24/
Last year, 'Yoon Gona Hwangson' grew dramatically and became the center of the lineup. Will Lotte Giants' batting lineup continue this year.

Traditionally, it is a team that is far from a quick team. Despite being a first-year professional team, Jeon Joon-ho received the steal king twice in 1993 and 1995. Especially in the era of Lee Dae-ho, it was common to finish last in the team steal.

The team color has been changing since Lee Dae-ho's retirement in 2022. In particular, since Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung took office last year, the trend has changed to a tendency closer to the Hotajuns and the so-called foot baseball rather than emphasizing the big guns swing.




The leader is Hwang Sung-bin. Hwang Sung-bin ranked third in this category last year with 51 stolen bases. He was listed at the top with 10 stolen bases again this year, but he left in early May after suffering a finger fracture during the diving process at first base.

However, Lotte's speed does not decrease. This is because the duo that filled Hwang Sung-bin's vacancy are running every day.

It's water fountain, right? Half the team steal is out of the leadoff...12 joint baseball duo in a month
롯데 장두성. Photo courtesy = Lotte Giants
Jang Doo-sung and Kim Dong-hyuk are ranked second in monthly stolen bases after KIA Tigers' Park Chan-ho (eight) by successfully stealing six bases each in May until the 26th. Park Hae-min and Jo were on par with each other.




Jang Doo-sung fully bursts his talent and is even accompanied by a fire bat with a batting average of 300. And Lotte's pinch runner market, where Hwang Sung-bin is out and Jang Doo-sung is the main player, is the solo stage of military outfielder Kim Dong-hyuk.

Kim Dong-hyuk, from Gangneung Yeongdong University, wore a Lotte uniform in the second seventh round of 2022. After that, he went straight to the army without even holding Rookie Day and quickly completed his military service.

Until last year, he could not hide his inexperience and tension. However, did Hwang Seong-bin's absence serve as a motivation. Although he has only five at-bats this season, he is being appointed as a pinch-runner-defensive agent and showing off his speed to his heart's content. In May, he stole six times without failure.




It's water fountain, right? Half the team steal is out of the leadoff...12 joint baseball duo in a month
롯데 김동혁. Photo courtesy = Lotte Giants
In particular, he won applause from head coach Kim Tae-hyung for two consecutive days from the 24th to the 25th of last weekend, when the second-place Hanwha Eagles had a bloody battle.

Kim Dong-hyuk is also praised for his fast feet and strong shoulders in defense. In particular, Hwang Sung-bin left fielder, Jang Doo-sung center fielder, and Kim Dong-hyuk right fielder before Hwang Sung-bin's injury, are said to literally have no gaps if the defense formation of the three baseball players unfolds.

Last year, a total of 68 stolen bases (Hwang Sung-bin 51, Jang Doo-sung 14, and Kim Dong-hyuk 3) were jointly stolen by the three baseball players of Lotte. Will he be able to break last year's record this year.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.