Lotte Giants hopeful Kim Min-seok (19) is suffering from growing pains. It is imperative to overcome the second-year jinx.
Kim returned to the game against the Samsung Lions in Busan on Tuesday, recording two hits in five times at bat, displaying robust performance. However, he has had only three hits from 25 times at bat in the six games he has played since then. He moved back and forth between No. 2 and No. 1, and even dropped to No. 9.
Kim Min-seok, who was wearing a Lotte uniform as the third overall pick in the first round of the 2023 Rookie Draft, was considered as his successor by receiving a halo of Lee Jung-hoo, a high school alumnus and senior Lee Jung-hoo. Since his debut season, he has garnered triple-digit hits (102) to prove his potential. He has also earned the nickname "Sajik Idol."
However, he suffered an internal oblique muscle injury at the spring camp this year, which slowed him down. He couldn't hold the exhibition game because he was busy taking rehabilitation treatment. Could it be because of the injury? Lotte returned to the main league with high expectations, but has hardly found a foothold to rebound.
The match against the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 17th, when Lotte lost eight consecutive games for the first time in 21 years, will likely remain a bitter memory for Kim Min-seok. At the batter's box where he played a runner, he repeatedly stepped down with a poor hit, and left a regret in the process of giving up a finishing run.
At his first at-bat in the top of the first inning, he struck out three pitches against LG starter Lim Chan-kyu. While watching the first four-seam fastball (straightball), he fouled the second-pitch curveball, but missed the bat due to the curveball he used again.
In the second inning, he made a sacrifice bunt after leaving two runners on. However, in the fourth inning, when he was at the first base with no outs, he failed to hit a heating point due to Lim's changeup, and only grounded out to the first base, and failed to send his leading runner to the second base. In the eighth inning when Lotte was losing 3-5 with one out and two runs, he struck out three pitches again against LG's closing pitcher Yoo Young-chan, who had just taken the mound. He swung at a forkball with his first pitch, watched his second pitch, and swung at a forkball with his third pitch again.
Lotte tied the game at 5-5 with two runs scored in the ninth inning in the face of losing 3-5. However, closing pitcher Kim Won-joong threw a ball in the bottom of the ninth inning and was on the verge of getting the bases loaded. Kim faced Ahn Ik-hoon as a pinch hitter in the situation, and induced a fly ball to the position close to the infield. For now, it seemed that he would have one out count. The location of the home and port were close enough for the third baseman to rush in after the tag-up.
Kim Min-seok, who was playing as a center fielder and was playing the top defense in the middle outfield, rushed to catch the slightly missed hit. He then caught the ball from 4 to 5 meters away from the infield dirt. However, he slightly lost his balance at that moment, and Park Hae-min, a third-base runner and a representative player in the LG league, also dug into the home and scored. Kim threw the ball to the cutman in the situation. Although the balance shook for a moment, it seemed appropriate to throw home right away.
In fact, Kim did not make mistakes or make mistakes. Lotte's bad luck happened when Park Hae-min was a runner on the third base. However, Kim Min-seok has no choice but to feel something as well. He was confident in a situation where he could realize anew that the outcome is determined only by one step and one tempo difference. In fact, Park is said to have chosen to rush to the home after realizing that it would be difficult to throw and make a pitch under such circumstances as he is an outfielder (in the center field).
He has become a rising star with heavier shoulders compared to his senior year. With his team in a quagmire, he has no choice but to feel frustrated because he cannot match his performance and performance. However, it is a valuable experience. Although Lotte is still going through a cold spring, Kim can grow up in pain.
BY: 토토사이트링크