“He has the mentality of a warrior.”
As evaluated by Larry Sutton, manager of the Lotte Giants, Koo Seung-min climbed the mound and fulfilled his duties with courage.스포츠토토
Koo Seung-min got on the mound in the top of the 7th inning, leading 6-3 against the NC Dinos held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 2nd, and blocked 1 inning with 1 hit and no run.
Koo Seung-min was replaced after being hit on the right knee by Son Ah-seop’s batted ball in the game the previous day (1st). The ball hit the ground after bouncing once, but it was an assault ball. After he fell for the first time, he couldn’t keep his balance due to the shock and fell again. He retreated to the dugout with the help of his trainer. “I was bruised,” Sutton said.
Koo Seung-min is in pain after being hit by a ball in the NC game on the 1st. Photo = Courtesy of Lotte
However, Koo Seung-min’s will to pitch was firm. Coach Sutton praised, “Before the game, Seung-min Koo said, ‘I can play today, so please leave me a role.
On this day, starting pitcher Charlie Barnes finished his duties with 3 runs in 6 innings and went down. The second pitcher Sutton brought out was Koo Seung-min.
Koo Seung-min struck out the first batter, Kwon Hee-dong. The follow-up Park Gun-woo caught it with a floating ball in the outfield. He gave up an infield hit to fourth batter Jason Martin, but threw Yun Hyeong-jun into an infield ground ball.
Lotte won 6-3 in the harmony of pitching and escaped from the recent 4 consecutive losses. After the game, Sutton Gamnam praised the bullpen pitchers, saying, “They pitched with everything they had.”
Lotte has had a lot of injuries lately. Main catcher Yoo Kang-nam (left oblique muscle) and starting pitcher Na Kyun-an (hamstring pain) left due to injury. Captain Ahn Chi-hong was excluded from the starting lineup for three consecutive games due to shoulder pain.
Fortunately, Lotte breathed a sigh of relief as Koo Seung-min escaped serious injury. Seung-Min Koo is the team’s No. 1 hold player this season and is a strong team that broke through the 100-hold mark for the first time in the club’s history.
Koo Seung-min recorded 15 holds of the season without a loss that day. 3rd in the league They are chasing the leader KT Wiz Park Young-hyun (19).
Koo Seung-min, who had a career-high season last year with 2 wins, 4 losses and an ERA of 2.90 in 73 games, is likely to achieve 20 holds for 4 consecutive years if he maintains his current pace.