Lotte finished all of the actual Okinawa camp. The atmosphere of the team was better than expected, raising expectations that it could continue during the regular season.
On the 5th, Lotte played an evaluation match against Hanwha at Kochinda Stadium near Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. For reasons such as injury prevention, the game was played with 7 innings and lost 4-6. Up to this day, in the seven evaluation matches played in the Okinawa Islands, they gained momentum with 5 wins and 2 losses. Lotte coach Larry Sutton said, “It was a time to confirm that the color of the team has changed with aggressive pitching and running. He evaluated it as a period of fruitful results, such as consistently good plays in defense.”토토사이트
In fact, new faces including the three musketeers (Yoo Kang-nam, Noh Jin-hyuk, and Han Hyeon-hee) brought excitement. Shin Jung-rak, a submarine pitcher, and Kim Min-seok, a rookie who graduated from high school (Whimoon High School), created a new sensation, such as Yoon Myeong-joon and Kim Sang-soo, who re-proved their potential as “trustworthy men.”
In particular, Kim Min-seok started as the second hitter and center fielder in the SSG and evaluation match held at Gushikawa Stadium on the 4th, and played a perfect role with 5 hits, 2 RBIs and 2 steals. Although it is a spring camp evaluation game, it is not easy for a high school graduate rookie to get 5 hits in one game. His batting direction was also formed toward center field, leaving a deep impression on the coaching staff. Kim Min-seok said, “It’s the first time I’ve had 5 hits in a game while playing baseball.” He didn’t get pushed by the fastball, and he made the ball in play, which gave him confidence,” he said.
During his field training from the Guam spring camp to Okinawa, he tried to become a ‘New Giants’. A large number of veteran coaches who have experienced prenatal battles in the KBO League have joined in and made an effort to take out the players’ sense of defeat, and were eager to repeat basic training to arm themselves with solidity rather than splendor. In other words, he has prepared the power to overcome the slump in a short time with sound play while maintaining Lotte’s unique ‘culture that can not be controlled when riding in the atmosphere’.
Because of this, the quality seems to be different from the previous year’s spring camp evaluation victory. Starting with a 3-0 win against brother club Chiba Lotte, he began to develop a winning habit. Even lost games have become sticky, such as not passing the flow due to a ridiculous mistake. It means that they have gained confidence that they can carry on the momentum until the fall, breaking away from the image that ‘it is difficult for any team to come in the spring’. It is inevitable that there will be ups and downs as you go through the season, but it is encouraging to have a weapon that will not be shaken psychologically as a ‘basic skill’.
A time when the trumpet of hope sounds long. Lotte did not let go of the string of tension every year at the sound of the trumpet. Rather, the atmosphere is so good that it is a matter of concern. A small whirlpool made in Okinawa is preparing to return to Busan.