Lotte Giants acting manager Lee Jong-woon was pleased with the performance of his rookies.
Lotte won the 14th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against SSG Landers 5-2 at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on April 22 to sweep the three-game series.
Starter Park Se-woong pitched six innings of three-hit ball (two homers) with four strikeouts and two walks, while the bullpen of Shim Jae-min, Choi Jun-yong, and Kim Won-joong threw a scoreless relay to keep SSG off the board. At the plate, Yoon Dong-hee, who was selected to the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games team, went 3-for-5 with a home run, one RBI and one run scored. Two veterans, Jeon Jun-woo and Yoo Kang-nam, also had multi-hit performances.
Above all, the presence of “rookies” Jung Dae-seon and Seo Dong-wook shined in the second half of the game. Starting at seventh and second base, Jung Dae-sun went 4-for-4 with two doubles, one RBI, and one run scored in his first first-team game, and he even added an RBI single in the top of the eighth inning. Seo Dong-wook, who came in as a pinch hitter, also contributed to the team’s victory with a double in the bottom of the seventh inning. If it weren’t for their performances, it would have been difficult to secure the victory in a close game.
Jung was selected with the 43rd pick in the fifth round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, while Seo wore a Lotte uniform as a developmental player. Both players made their mark with solid performances in the Futures League, and it was clear from their time in the second team that Lee Jong-woon was giving the younger players a chance. And the pair have lived up to their manager’s expectations with their performances.
“I felt so good because I played with him in the second team,” Lee said before the away game against SSG on the 23rd, “Jung Dae-sun is a player who has good contact and I had high expectations of him, but I thought he lacked speed and things like that, but he didn’t have any of that.” “Both players were mainstays, but Jung Dae-sun had no problem playing because I saw him play the day before, even though it was his first first-team game,” Lee said.
In particular, the performance of the two players is expected to energize the atmosphere of the squad and provide a good stimulus for the existing beasts. Acting head coach Lee Jong-woon said, “We’ve had a lot of players leave the team, but if these players come in and show their abilities, it will be a stimulus for the other players, and the team will be more active. We don’t have to play players who are not good,” he said, welcoming the young players’ performance.
Some may argue that giving less experienced players a chance is more about preparing for next season than fall baseball. “If there’s a 0.1 percent chance, we don’t give up,” Lee said. It’s not polite to the fans. If I’m the first one to give up, the fans won’t tolerate it either,” he said.
“From the outside, you can see that I’m giving up and using young players, but if you want to revitalize the team, you need to put in players who have potential and are good, and if they do well, there will be a synergy. I’m not giving up at all, and I think it will make the team better,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Lotte’s lineup against Kirk McCarty is Kim Min-seok (center field), Han Dong-hee (third base), Jeong Hoon (first base), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Yoo Kang-nam (catcher), Nico Goodrum (shortstop), Jeong Dae-sun (second base), Seo Dong-wook (right field), and Hwang Sung-bin (left field). The starting pitcher is Charlie Barnes. Pitcher Park Se-woong and outfielder Yoon Dong-hee, who were selected to the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games team, were designated for assignment, and no players were recalled.토토사이트
Infielder Noh Jin-hyuk, whose back condition has improved from the previous day, will remain on the bench. He will be available midway through the game. Acting manager Lee Jong-woon said, “I feel good, but I think there is fatigue after two games. I think it’s better to play with the same players, so I’m going with the players who played yesterday.” Outfielder Ahn Kwon-soo, who felt pain in his shoulder after colliding with the catcher on a head-first slide in the previous game, escaped serious injury and is available as a substitute, as is Noh Jin-hyuk.