The reason why the number of cards in Kim Tae-hyung's hands has increased 153km is because everyone is getting better in the second division. Lotte's development is gaining strength.

May 20, 2025

photo courtesy of Lotte Giants

"Everyone got better in the second division. "

The head coach, who sighed at the beginning of the season, changed his face. There are many days when I have a bright smile.

It's late May, and Lotte Giants are aiming for the top spot in the league. He tied for second place with Hanwha Eagles on the 18th. Already, it is two games away from the No. 1 LG Twins.

The wide use of the team is noticeable for both batters and pitchers.

Yoon Go-na Hwang-son, who exploded last year, is generally suffering from injuries or sluggishness, but veterans such as Jeon Joon-woo, new lucky Jeon Min-jae, and rookie Jang Doo-sung and Lee Ho-joon are filling the gap.

photo courtesy of Lotte Giants

In the pitching staff, Chung Hyun-soo, Song Jae-young, and Kim Kang-hyun are also relieving Jung Cheol-won's burden, while Lee Min-seok and Choi Jun-yong appeared in the first team. Han Hyun-hee, who recently came up, also showed a good performance to intervene in the competition for the fifth starter. New foreigner Alec Gamboa has joined, and unfinished waiters such as Yoon Sung-bin and Hong Min-ki are also wriggling. If Kim Jin-wook or Shim Jae-min and Choi Yi-joon, who were the previous four starters, are added to this, it will be the icing on the cake.

Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung replied at the beginning of the season, "'It gets better when hitters return to the second division' and "'If you play against relatively easy pitchers, you'll gain confidence and a sense of hitting.'"

However, regarding the recent dislocation of the pitching staff, "Everyone got a little better in the second division." The development of second-tier and rehabilitation forces, including second-tier pitching coach Kim Sang-jin, seems to be successfully settled.

photo courtesy of Lotte Giants

Hong Min-ki, who came up as a special entry for a doubleheader against the Samsung Lions on the 17th, was immediately canceled on the 18th. However, ace Park Se-woong took the mound in the first and sixth innings of a doubleheader that went down in five innings and defended well with one scoreless inning. Out of a total of 14 balls, a powerful fastball of up to 153km stood out. Choi Jun-yong, who returned from a shoulder injury last year and an elbow injury this year, also threw a fastball of up to 153km, foreshadowing a bright future.

Director Kim Tae-hyung said of Hong Min-ki, `It was much better than before. I'm thinking about how to use it in the future. I will decide after seeing Yoon Sung-bin or other pitchers' pitches." As options become more diverse, the command of a master becomes more powerful.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.