“It was really, really amazing today.”
Professional baseball player Kim Min-sung of the Lotte Giants became the hero of an unscripted drama.
Kim Min-sung led his team to victory by hitting a tying two-run double in the 7th inning with one out and the bases loaded in a home game against the Samsung Lions on the 22nd, which was held at Sajik Stadium, overcoming a 5-6 deficit. This victory allowed Lotte to extend their four-game winning streak after their home game against Hanwha Eagles on the 18th.
Starter Park Se-woong struggled with 3 innings, 8 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 6 earned runs. After him, Hong Min-ki (3 innings, 1 hit, 6 strikeouts, no earned runs) and Yoon Seong-bin (1 inning, 1 strikeout, no earned runs) completely shut down the Samsung batting lineup, setting the stage for the comeback victory. Notably, Yoon Seong-bin became a winning pitcher for the first time in 2,462 days since September 25, 2018, against the NC Dinos.
Having achieved 2 hits and 4 RBIs, including the winning hit, Kim Min-sung said after the game, “It was really, really amazing today. We faced difficulties early in the game, but the coach didn’t give up and continued to bring in good pitchers, which allowed the players to achieve satisfactory results. The pitchers did well to hold them off, enabling us to have good opportunities.”
He, who did not miss the golden opportunity with the bases loaded and one out, humbly said, “Of course, I did hit the winning hit to win, but baseball is all about flow and situation. Thanks to the players creating opportunities by hitting consecutive hits, I was able to achieve a good result.”
He continued, “It’s always difficult to have the bases loaded with one out in a one-run game, but I thought that even if I just hit a fly ball, it would be good since the opposing pitcher has been in good shape lately. I was able to push a well-placed forkball to right-center. When I hit it, I thought, ‘Ah, this is it.’ I believe that if I had been greedy, the result might have been different.”
As a veteran, there is certainly pressure to perform assigned roles properly. Kim Min-sung stated, “Young players can be given time even if they fail, but veteran players feel the pressure of always having to show good plays. I’m trying to utilize my experiences in baseball to show the best performance possible and help the team, and I’m relieved that the results are coming out well.”
Meanwhile, Coach Kim Tae-hyoung praised, “In a situation where we were falling behind early in the game, Hong Min-ki did well to hold it down for 3 innings without giving up any runs, and Yoon Seong-bin overcame his pressure and handled his inning well, setting the groundwork for victory.”
He also added, “The entire team kept their focus until the end, even in a tough situation, and connected it to the victory with Kim Min-sung’s winning hit in the 7th. I want to once again acknowledge the players for their hard work in facing difficult games.” Lotte will face NC in a three-game midweek series at Changwon NC Park starting on the 24th.
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