“I want to learn a lot by following you.”
One of the reasons the Lotte Giants recruited pitcher Kim Sang-soo (36), who was released from SSG Landers in November last year, is that they needed an exemplary veteran to learn from and watch. Lotte Mound was more suited to the word카지노사이트 “passion” rather than experience. Most of the key pitchers such as Park Se-woong, Na Kyun-an, Kim Do-kyu, and Choi Jun-yong are in their 20s. There are many promising players in their early 20s, such as Kim Jin-wook and Seo Jun-won. So Lotte felt the need for more veterans.
Passing on experience wasn’t everything. Skills were also important. Then, it was judged that the existence itself would be a great strength for the team to grow. Lotte tried to strengthen the player base and promote the growth of young pitchers at the same time.
Kim Sang-soo, who recently contacted Sports Donga, said, “I had a lot of worries this winter, but there was no pain, so I really wanted to play baseball like crazy once.” is doing He contacted me, saying, “I really need it.” From then on, I made up my mind and started preparing again,” he said.
Kim Sang-soo is perfect as an exemplary player Lotte wants. He collected 102 holds in 514 career games. During the days of Nexen ~ Kiwoom Heroes, he led the team as pitcher manager and captain. In 2019, while serving as captain, he ranked first in this category with 40 holds, the highest record in a single season ever. The training attitude was also exemplary. Even during the physical fitness test in preparation for the spring camp held in January, evaluations followed that he was sincere.
Choi Jun-yong said, “I wish there were senior seniors in the pitching team.” “It was very impressive to see him silently doing his part. He takes training very seriously. I want to learn a lot,” he said. Kim Do-gyu said, “It is certain that there are so many things to learn from seniors. “At first, I thought he would be a blunt person because he had charisma, but he approached the juniors comfortably and made it fun, so it was fun during training,” he said.
Sajik Stadium is also a meaningful place for Kim Sang-soo. This is where he consecutively increased the record for the most in a single season in 2019 to 39 and 40 holds. Sajik Stadium performance is also good. Kim Sang-soo recorded 1 win, 5 holds, 1 save, 2.08 ERA (3 earned runs in 13 innings), and 0.92 WHIP per inning in 13 games for 5 years from 2018. He said, “I remember posting the last 40th hold in 2019 at Sajik Stadium,” and looked back, saying, “Sajik Stadium is a place with good memories for me.”
There are many elements that can be combined with the existing young pitchers. Kim Sang-soo is also good at using the forkball, which has become the symbolic pitch of the Lotte mound. In 2019, he made his single-season best with a forkball as his primary weapon. He seems to have a lot to ask and learn from juniors who dream of becoming the king of Hold. He said, “I’m still trying to approach first, but in fact, it’s not very easy to approach younger friends first. He can be overbearing. Rather than telling my own story first, I try to listen to my friends’ stories. It is important to listen to the other person’s story and understand their feelings.”