Just look in the middle and throw it! 155km left-hander seen in 6 years, and must-win group in the second half?I'm getting greedy now, too.

Jul 09, 2025

Just look in the middle and throw it! 155km left-hander seen in 6 years, and must-win group in the second half?I'm getting greedy now, too.
Hong Min-ki for the interview. Reporter Kim Young-rok



Just look in the middle and throw it! 155km left-hander seen in 6 years, and must-win group in the second half?I'm getting greedy now, too.
Hong Min-ki is heading to the dugout after finishing a scoreless pitch in the top of the fourth inning against Doosan and Lotte at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium on the 8th. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.07.08/
Just look in the middle and throw it! 155km left-hander seen in 6 years, and must-win group in the second half?I'm getting greedy now, too.
A game between the Lotte Giants and the LG Twins at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 1st. Lotte Hong Min-ki is pitching hard. Busan = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.01/
"There's something the power analysis coach always says. 'You just have to look at the center and throw it away. I'm trying to play as fast as I can."

He has been showing good pitching every day. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung's face looking at Lotte Giants Hong Min-ki (24) is full of satisfaction.

Hong Min-ki, who met at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 9th, said "I only played in the second division, came to the first division and received attention, recognized the fans, and the results came out, so now I have greed." It's a great motivation."




Hong Min-ki pitched well against the Doosan Bears the previous day with one run in five innings. The number of pitches is 63. It was expected to win for the first time in six years since his debut, but he missed it unfortunately as the Lotte bullpen collapsed in the second half of the game and lost.

Still, there were only three scattered hits without four outs, and he struck out as many as seven. It overwhelmed Doosan's batters by mixing up to 153km of fastballs and two types of sliders.

Hong Min-ki said of his pitching the previous day, `I'm satisfied with my ball control better than my fastball speed. It was good to play fast because the number of balls was small."




Just look in the middle and throw it! 155km left-hander seen in 6 years, and must-win group in the second half?I'm getting greedy now, too.
Lotte Hong Min-ki, who took the mound in the top of the fourth inning, is pitching hard in the match between Samsung and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 22nd. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.06.22/
It was when he returned to Busan after the match against KIA in Gwangju on the 6th. Hong Min-ki said "Everyone in the team thought (Kim) Jin-wook would go out. Honestly, I was flustered. I played 10 games in the first half, and the coach trusted and pushed me."

"I was able to throw after the fifth inning, but since it wasn't a season I prepared as a starter, I got a blister on my finger. I think the coach was considerate. From my point of view, I think it's important to show him playing more innings than records like wins, holds and saves."

Hong Min-ki said "The power analysis coach said 'Your analysis doesn't mean much. Look in the middle and throw it. Even if it's two strikes, unless you're just a home run hitter, you're competing right in the zone," he said, expressing confidence.




Another advantage is that it has not been analyzed yet. Hong Min-ki threw the slider quickly in a cut fastball style and 130km at the heating timing. Also, the slider is bigger than I thought, and the batters seem to think only 'Hardball and slider 2 pitch'."

If he concentrates on the bullpen in the future, he will further refine his fastballs and sliders, but if he has more chances to start, he is considering a breaking ball that bends in the opposite direction to the slider like a changeup.

As for the current slider ball control, about 7 out of 10 can be struck. Looking at Kangnam's knees, he said, "If you throw it hard, it goes low on its own."

Regarding the possibility of a must-win team, he stressed that `I have no experience like (Choi) Jun-yong or (Jung) Cheol-won, but if the coach uses it, I will only do my best.'

"How young are you??I've been told a lot since then that poker faces are important. Also, when I hit a home run, I don't think I'll feel very good if the batter's ceremony is big. I tend to minimize my ceremony, too. Cheorwon said that such performances raise the team's atmosphere. Wouldn't I come out without knowing if I throw well in fall baseball or big games?"

Just look in the middle and throw it! 155km left-hander seen in 6 years, and must-win group in the second half?I'm getting greedy now, too.
A game between Samsung and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 22nd, Lotte Hong Min-ki, who took the mound in the top of the fourth inning, is heading to the dugout after the inning. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.06.22/
In particular, intensive training at the Biomechanic Academy in Japan in April helped greatly. Hong Min-ki is the process of measuring the body and then comparing it with Japanese top-class players. Coach Kim Sang-jin and Moon Dong-hwan also received a lot of help. His confidence rose when he caught control of the ball.' I ask Gamboa and Davidson a lot, but they have different bodies from themselves. He said "The most I can skip? 醯蹈?There is..." he laughed.

"Kim Jin-wook is a really liked junior. I feel bad to see you blame yourself and feel sorry. It's a positive personality, so it'll come up quickly."

Manager Kim Tae-hyung said, `I think Hong Min-ki is more of a bullpen than a starter. Yesterday, the number of pitches was really low, and it will be more certain if it comes out as a must-win group in the middle."





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.