For Lotte coach Kim Tae-hyung, the biggest concern at the moment is to save the ‘eyeglasses ace’ Park Se-woong.스포츠토토
Since taking the helm of Lotte Group last winter, Kim Tae-hyung has dubbed Park an “Ace.” He has given Park the starting position as the first starter right after a foreign pitcher. When he had a “confrontation with pride” with the Chiba Lotte during the spring camp held in Okinawa, Japan, he also deployed Park as an opponent for Japanese ace Rocky Sasaki. Park also worked hard to prepare for this season to meet such expectations.
However, such an ace has recently lost strength. In the game against KT on the 9th, he was substituted early with 12 hits, one homer, five walks, one strikeout, eight runs and seven earned runs in four innings. He has six wins and eight losses and an earned run average of 5.34 in 22 games this season.
Since 2021, Park has maintained a three-point ERA, while maintaining her team’s mound. She had 10 wins (nine losses) in 2021, building double-digit wins for the first time in four years since 2017 (12-6), and achieved 10 wins and 11 losses for the second consecutive year in 2022. She also posted a similar figure last year with nine wins and seven losses and an earned run average of 3.45. Last year, she participated in the Hangzhou Asian Games and won the gold medal, dispelling any worries.
However, fluctuating pitching makes the coach concerned this year. In July, there were two games in which he played six innings or more, and two games in which he failed to play even five innings. He also achieved a quality start by allowing two runs in 6.1 innings at the game against SSG on August 1, but suffered a setback at the recent game against KT.
Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung hinted at Park’s concern at Suwon Stadium on Wednesday. He mentioned Park when asked about Aaron Wilkerson, the starting pitcher. “Park Se-woong is now more important than Wilkerson,” he said, smiling agonizingly.
Head coach Kim Tae-hyung said, “I should say ‘I won’t look at you’ to Park Se-woong now.”
“Park Se-woong is looking at the bench while pitching. He said something about it twice. It could bother you,” Kim said. “You can’t do that even if you can’t throw a ball, but if you tilt your head or something like that, you lose to the opponent and go in. You don’t have to show your nervousness.”
“If it’s Park Se-woong in the mound, he will be able to overwhelm the ball power,” Kim said. As the head coach, I hope Park will not be seen constantly trying to watch the bench. Even if he gets hit, he thinks that if he throws his ball confidently, he can communicate as much as he wants.
In the end, Park Se-woong has to do Lotte. This is because Park Se-woong has to show himself to make a calculation. Coach Kim has always expressed his faith in Park Se-woong. Therefore, I hope he believes in his ability and does not get anxious.