Lotte 'Cinderella' Go Seung-min "Reproach only until midnight... My dream is to be the batting lineup's solution"

From a grand slam to a tying RBI hit… Leading the batting line with 6 home runs and 42 RBIs at a batting average of 0.308.

On the 25th, the Lotte Giants and KIA Tigers played a game that will be remembered in professional baseball history at Sajik Stadium in Busan.

Lotte was down 1-14 in the top of the 4th inning, but gradually accumulated points and miraculously turned the game around by 15-14 in the bottom of the 7th.

In the end, after allowing a 15-15 tie in the top of the 8th, neither team was able to score and the winner was still unknown, but Lotte showed its ability to turn around a 13-point gap for a moment. 토토사이트

The player who played the most crucial role in this process was Lotte's 3rd batter, Ko Seung-min.

In the bottom of the 4th with 2 outs and bases loaded, Ko Seung-min hit his second career grand slam against KIA's starting pitcher James Nail to bring the score to 7-14, and in the bottom of the 7th with 1 out and runners on 2nd and 3rd bases, he hit a 2-RBI single to center field to tie the score at 14-14.

Ko Seung-min is having his best season since his debut this year, with a batting average of .308 (65 hits in 211 at-bats), 6 home runs, and 42 RBIs in 55 games.

He has more home runs and RBIs than in 2022 (5 home runs, 30 RBIs), when he hit .316 in 92 games.

Ko Seung-min, who we met before the game, said that mentality was the biggest factor influencing his performance this season.

Go Seung-min recalled last season, when he was in a slump with a batting average of 0.224, and said, "Last year, I blamed myself until the day after the game, but this year, I only do it until midnight on the day of the game.

(After midnight) I only think about the next game and how I will approach the game."

Just like Cinderella, the protagonist of a fairy tale who transforms at midnight, Ko Seung-min, the Cinderella of Lotte's batting lineup this year, made big results with small changes.

Ko Seung-min's performance at the beginning of this season was not up to expectations.

Although coach Kim Tae-hyung had been praising him since the camp, he was notified of being sent to the second team after struggling with a batting average of 0.166 in the first eight games.

Ko Seung-min, who returned to the first team at the end of April, showed a sharp increase with a batting average of 0.330 in May and 0.318 in June, and his season batting average also exceeded 0.300.

He analyzed, "At first, the manager was new, so (the young players, including me) seemed to be aware of it.

Since the manager was scary, I thought I had to do well," and "Now, rather than thinking like that, the young players are trying to take responsibility for each other and our performance has improved."

Lotte's batting lineup is led by young players such as Ko Seung-min, Na Seung-yeop (22), and Yoon Dong-hee (20).

Na Seung-yeop has a season batting average of 0.301, and Yoon Dong-hee has a batting average of 0.303, tying him with Ko Seung-min.

Ko Seung-min said, "(Yoon) Dong-hee has played in more games than me, and he's the older one out of the three, so I have a lot to learn from him.

(Na) Seung-yeop is my roommate, and he's the older one mentally.

He's a younger brother with many strengths."

Ko Seung-min, who recently started as the third hitter, is showing the performance the team expects as a middle- and long-distance hitter.

Ko Seung-min said, "I feel a sense of responsibility to become a key player on the team. In games where we are losing, I often think about winning by hitting," and "My dream is to become a problem solver like (former) Jun-woo someday."

Ko Seung-min also improved his defense.

At the beginning of the season, he moved between the outfield and the infield, but recently he has been playing second base.

He has not only improved his ability to catch and throw the ball, but also his judgment of situations.

Regarding playing multiple positions, Ko Seung-min said, “I think it is an advantage that I can play in a wider range of games,” and “I am grateful to seniors Jeong Hoon, Oh Seon-jin, and Park Seung-wook in the infield.

I am especially sorry to Seung-wook (the Keystone Combo) for constantly calling him and asking him questions during the game, which made it difficult for him to concentrate.”

Ko Seung-min, who is having his best season since his debut, objectively evaluated his skills, saying, “To be honest, I can’t hit a .300 batting average for the entire season.” 바카라사이트

He said, “This is the first time I’ve played in this many games.

My batting average will drop in the second half,” but added, “I am satisfied with contributing to the team’s victory every day.”